Text/Walking Stuka
The United States simply understands the Russia-Ukraine conflict as a "battle between good and evil" and then defines itself as "just". Any country that does not obey the position of the United States is "supporting evil"; but the Russia-Ukraine conflict is really Is it simply black and white? Obviously not. Two Chinese scholars recently published comments on the US National Interest website, teaching Americans how to correctly view the Russia-Ukraine conflict from a realistic and historical perspective.
In the article, the author pointed out: China and Russia are a comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination in the new era. Some people tend to tie the two countries together and believe that China and Russia are no different. Therefore, since the beginning of this conflict, China’s Reactions and stances have been of great concern.
In fact, China’s independent foreign policy of peace is not simply a dichotomy between China’s sanctions against Russia or its siding with Russia. China and Russia have a new type of major-country relationship that is non-aligned, non-confrontational and does not target third parties. "There is no upper limit on Sino-Russian relations" emphasizes the development potential of the two countries and opposes hegemonism and unilateralism. Unlike Europe, China is more Tends to combine rationality and legality and does not tend to simplify issues.
Then, the author proposed four dimensions of the Russia-Ukraine conflict from a Chinese perspective: The first is the millennium dimension. The author believes that the Russia-Ukraine conflict can be seen as a modern version of Europe's "division and unification", in which the Slavic people have not been fully integrated into the European mainstream. However, if time permits, it is entirely possible for the Slavic people to gradually integrate into Europe, such as the Northern The Creek-2 project is a manifestation of this goal. However, as German President Steinmeier said, the Americans complicated the situation, led to the current Russia-Ukraine conflict, and destroyed the cooperation and natural integration between the two sides. Ukraine was supposed to be a bridge of communication and mutual understanding, but now this bridge is broken.
The second dimension is the 400-year-old Westphalian system. The starting point of this system was the war between Protestant and Catholicism. Although the resolution of the war brought a certain degree of peace to both sides, it led to the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire and ultimately triggered World War I. and WWII .
The Westphalian system also implies a "sovereignty trap": some countries cannot be the masters of their own sovereignty, and Ukraine is one of these countries. 90% of Europe's data is in the hands of American companies. The market value of the top 30 information, communication and technology giants in the United States is equivalent to the combined GDP of the five European giants - Germany, France, Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom. Is Europe itself sovereign? Or is it somehow dependent on the United States? For Europe, it is a challenging issue.
The third is the Cold War dimension. The West believes that Russia is the loser of the Cold War, and what Putin has to do is to settle the shame of the Soviet Union's failure. But if so, why would the United States add fuel to the fire by humiliating Russia and making a promise that " NATO will not expand eastward" only to later renege on it? The United States regards Russia as a defeated country and has no right to speak in the future international order decided by Washington; however, Russia regards itself as a victor in World War II and has the absolute right to express its voice in the global order - so the two sides have a dispute. Disagreement.
Finally, there is the post-Cold War dimension. During the Beijing Winter Olympics, China and Russia signed the "Joint Statement on International Relations and Global Sustainable Development in the New Era." Some Western observers interpret this joint statement to explain China's approval of Putin's decision to attack Ukraine. In fact, China is very disappointed with this understanding!
Where will the Russia-Ukraine conflict go? What role does China play in this matter? The author believes that the Russia-Ukraine conflict may become a protracted war that may continue to affect the world for ten years or even longer, and the prospects for a quick resolution are bleak. After this conflict, Europe's strength will definitely weaken and it will face more serious internal divisions.
But China is different from Russia. The background of the Russia-Ukraine conflict does not apply to China or its neighbors, thanks to China's peaceful rise; the United States will use this conflict to further reverse globalization and turn its attention to the Indo-Pacific region.
The author finally appealed that China and Europe all support peace and multilateralism centered on the United Nations ; Helsinki spirit has many similarities with China's new security concept of a community with a shared future for mankind, so Has broad prospects for cooperation. What does
think of this article?
China is the oldest civilized country in the world. Of course, we can look at some things happening today through the historical dimension of hundreds, thousands or even thousands of years; but the problem is that the United States does not have such historical accumulation, and Ukraine, as an independent country Only a few decades. Whether the West can understand the views put forward by Chinese scholars is a big question; while Washington is full of fanaticism, Brussels is much more sober and appears to be very "pragmatic" in the face of the "Ruble Settlement Order."
Compared with reasoning with Americans, showing fists may be a more effective method. After all, Washington only recognizes this!
