China decides to stand firm with Russia despite odds

December 22, 2014 02:42 pm | Updated November 16, 2021 07:42 pm IST - BEIJING:

A stack of Newspapers are on display next to a stack of Global Times. A recent op-ed in the Global Times, affiliated with the Communist Party of China, has chided rumblings within China to abandon Moscow, in times of its need, in favour of Washington.

A stack of Newspapers are on display next to a stack of Global Times. A recent op-ed in the Global Times, affiliated with the Communist Party of China, has chided rumblings within China to abandon Moscow, in times of its need, in favour of Washington.

China has decided to stand firm with Russia, following a vigorous debate, triggered by the steep drop in global oil prices and the plunge in the value of the ruble.

A recent op-ed in the Global Times , affiliated with the Communist Party of China, has chided rumblings within China to abandon Moscow, in times of its need, in favour of Washington. “It is silly if Chinese society scorn the Beijing-Moscow engagement. Facing heightened pressure from the U.S., China and Russia are very precious strategic partners to each other,” the daily asserts. It adds: “There are also absurd propositions suggesting that the China-U.S. friendship should replace China-Russia ties. If the China-Russia relationship collapses, the U.S. will only become tougher on China.”

On Monday, an editorial in the daily, which was also carried by the People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese government, reinforced the point that western sanctions “cannot be the straw that breaks the back of Russia. This old trick has proven much less effective even in smaller countries like Cuba and Iran”.

On the contrary, predicting Russia’s resilience, the write-up stresses that, “Vladimir Putin's reign can hardly be overturned simply by currency inflation. Russia has experienced many ups and downs, and it has the tenacity to withstand risks and dangers.”

The Chinese foreign ministry has also asserted that Russia can surmount its “current temporary difficulty,” given Russia’s “abundant reserve of foreign exchanges, and a low ratio of public debt to the GDP among G20 members, not to mention its rich resources and good industrial foundation”.

Yet, sections of the state-media, including the Global Times, point to the limitations of Chinese support for Russia. The infusion of Chinese capital, technology and market access will prove insufficient, till the time Russia sheds its over-reliance on oil exports, and manages to impart “structural diversity” to its economy, they say.

Some of China’s leading bloggers point to the compelling strategic factors that should lead both countries to reinforce each other. “As soon as the U.S. began to adopt its policy of pivot to Asia to encircle China, China switched to Russia’s side by joining Russian veto over Syria issue,” says blogger Chan Kai Yee. Mr. Chan was referring to Washington’s decision to position nearly 60 per cent of its forces in the Asia-Pacific, in China’s periphery, under President Barack Obama’s “Asia Pivot” doctrine.

He points out that Chinese will negate the expectations among Americans that Beijing will leverage Russia’s current predicament to recover territory lost to Russia long ago, in return for its support. On the contrary, he says that popular goodwill generated by support for Russia under the current difficult circumstances “will bring benefit to both peoples for centuries”. In any case Moscow would be persuaded to part with “top weapons and weapon technology” -- a big gain for Beijing -- in return for Chinese financial support and the defence of the ruble.

Some Chinese commentators argue that the flow of Chinese economic support should be controlled by Russia, to prevent the impression gaining ground among Russians that ulterior motives were guiding Beijing’s relationship with Moscow. “Russia does not want to be a vassal of the Chinese economy, and this red line must be clearly understood by China,” warns the Global Times editorial.

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