By Robert HarrisFor more than three years, the world has watched the brutal conflict unfold in Ukraine, and throughout it all, China has maintained a meticulously crafted (albeit increasingly questionable) façade of neutrality. Beijing has consistently called for peace, urged dialogue, and refrained from overtly condemning Russia's actions, all while deepening its self-described "no-limits" partnership with Moscow. A few Western leaders (especially what is commonly called the “Reagan faction” of
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    20·
    2 天前

    Fact:

    Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to European diplomats: “China cannot afford a Russian defeat in Ukraine”.

    Supposition:

    The reason? Beijing reportedly fears that a vanquished Russia would allow the United States to shift its entire strategic focus onto China, a fear which is probably not unfounded given US President Trump’s openly anti-China rhetoric and policies.

    I fully support Ukraine, but I don’t agree with their guess at a reason for the statement from Minister Wang Yi. I’m thinking that China needs to cement the legitimacy of invading sovereign territories with ethnically similar populations so that China can get political cover when it wants to invade Taiwan. If China is successful in getting the world to accept some or all of Ukraine being held by Russia, then there will be no grounds for the world to oppose the invasion and capture of Taiwan by China.