- Ukraine wants Taiwan as strategic partner
- Sinolytics.Outlook: growth, chips and geopolitics
- BYD: possible factory purchase in Saarland
- EU could reduce battery dependence
- Philippines calls for talks on maritime territories
- Gaming company Blizzard stops China business
- Tools: more protection for whistleblowers
Andrij Melnyk, Ukraine’s former ambassador to Germany and since November 2022 deputy foreign minister, has urged a re-evaluation of Ukraine-Chinese relations. His remarks have caused quite a stir. Formally, Kyiv and Beijing have maintained a “strategic partnership” and extensive economic cooperation since 2011. However, given China’s pro-Russia stance since Putin’s Assault on Ukraine, not much is left of all this, as Michael Radunski analyzes. Instead, Ukraine is now beginning to look more toward Taiwan.
Meanwhile, China’s New Year celebrations continue, with today’s fourth day of the Year of the Rabbit traditionally honoring the Kitchen God. We also take a look into the new year: In cooperation with our partner, the consulting firm Sinolytics, which specializes in China, we present you three forecasts for the Year of the Rabbit covering the most important areas:
- Foreign companies: Why their capital remains essential to China’s economy
- Growth policy: How Beijing plans to navigate the bumpy road to economic recovery
- Geopolitics: How China’s chip industry continues to gain importance for Europe
Christiane Kühl
Feature
How China loses Ukraine
Andriy Melnyk has called for Ukraine to rethink its relations with China. “China’s position is becoming less and less acceptable to us,” Ukraine’s deputy foreign minister said last Thursday at the event Ukraine and the World in 2023. “We need to prepare a new strategy for relations with Beijing,” Melnyk said in Kyiv.
The reason for these considerations is China’s stance on the war in Ukraine. It is a breathtaking balancing act: On the one hand, China claims to be neutral. On the other hand, it praises its “boundless friendship” with Moscow and blames the USA and NATO for the war. According to a Bloomberg report, the US has evidence that Chinese state-owned enterprises are even providing non-military aid to Russia’s war in Ukraine. The Biden administration reportedly has confronted Beijing with corresponding indications in order to first find out whether the Chinese government was aware of these activities.
In any case, China’s ambivalence now has consequences. Ukraine starts to turn its back on its long-time partner China – and instead turns to a new ally in Asia: Taiwan.
Continue reading now
… and get free access to this Professional Briefing for a month.
Are you already a guest at the China.Table? Log in now