China
Janka Oertel on Ukraine and Taiwan + Rare earths + Putin's China fallacy
Dear reader,
How is China positioning itself on the Ukraine conflict? At present, different tendencies are getting mixed up, and one contradictory report follows the next. But on closer inspection, China follows a rational concept. One thing is certain: Xi Jinping is solely interested in China's rise. Russia is a useful troublemaker at best, testing the resolve of the Western alliance and at the same time making itself dependent on its remaining partner in the East.
That is why Beijing is still hesitating to take a position. First, it will wait and see how the conflict unfolds. If Putin is successful, China will be on board. If things go badly for Russia, China will quickly withdraw from the project. This step is already in preparation: On Sunday, Beijing cautiously began to distance itself from Russia's actions. However, the choice of words still leaves all options open in the short term, as our analysis shows.
In the long term, however, Xi wants to get as much out of the situation as possible for China. One of Germany's leading experts on China's foreign policy puts the current events into the bigger picture for us. What is happening before our eyes is not a mere war over democratic Ukraine, it is shaping the future world order, says Janka Oertel speaking to Michael Radunski. Oertel heads the Asia program at the European Council on Foreign Relations and has previously worked at the United Nations.
