China: State media silent in the face of Russian invasion of Ukraine

On the second day of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, the Chinese state media do not report, or very little, on the invasion launched by Moscow, preferring to evoke the various trips and statements of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

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Text by: RFI Follow

2 mins

On the second day of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, Chinese state media report little or no report on the invasion launched by Moscow.

And this, while the communist authorities have still not condemned the Russian ally.

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With our correspondent in Beijing

,

Chinese President

's various moves and statements are closely followed, but there is not a single line about Ukraine on the front page of the People's

.

One has to wait for the heart of the organ of the Chinese Communist Party to read a paragraph on the telephone call between the Russian and Chinese foreign ministers on Thursday, February 24.

It's just another normal day according to the People's Daily.

pic.twitter.com/nvMDLuAjWc

— Henry Gao (@henrysgao) February 25, 2022

The refusal to take a stand

Same thing in most official newspapers, which always make their headlines on the “ 

 ”.

A silence that betrays the embarrassment of the Chinese authorities who have so far refused to condemn the Russian invasion and are counting on

to oppose American hegemony.

Beijing is struggling to articulate its position and this is reflected in the use 

 of the Russian military's “

"History textbooks will remember that Russia 'entered' Ukraine, and not 'invaded'", mocks a Chinese journalist, showing 1 info published by 1 official Chinese media, which was content to report the Russia's official version of the Ukrainian crisis.

pic.twitter.com/rNyQGjUIZv

— Zhulin Zhang (@ZhangZhulin) February 24, 2022

The departure of the 6,000 Chinese from Ukraine

Testimonies from Ukraine, however, arrived at the end of the day, the Beijing news site offers live streaming with their journalist sent to Kiev with many reports on the departure of some of the 6,000 Chinese residents in Ukraine fleeing to the Russia.

There is also the testimony of a journalist on

in French, the subsidiary of China's central television.

The editorial instructions go a little in all directions also entrusts an employee of a state media.

As often, the Chinese power prefers to wait a few days for the smoke to settle in Ukraine, before positioning itself.

#CriseInUkraine Tetyana Ogarkova, a journalist in charge of the international department at the Ukraine Crisis Media Center, told us yesterday afternoon, Beijing time, from a town near the Ukrainian capital, the latest developments.

#SpecialCorrespondents pic.twitter.com/XBGwrNSl23

— CGTN French (@CGTNFrancais) February 25, 2022

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