“Stop applying multiple standards”: what is behind China’s response to the call of the G7 countries not to support Russia

Beijing called on the G7 countries to stop imposing illegal sanctions and focus on peace.

The corresponding statement was made by the official representative of the Chinese Foreign Ministry Zhao Lijian.

“We call on the G7 countries to truly focus on peace and development throughout the world, stop applying double or even multiple standards, stop sending military aircraft and ships to the “threshold” of other countries with or without reason to demonstrate their strength,” — quotes the words of the diplomat RIA Novosti.

Zhao Lijian also urged the G7 countries to "stop going to other countries to organize color revolutions, imposing illegal sanctions on other countries, or using extraterritorial jurisdiction at every opportunity."

In addition, the G7 countries should stop putting pressure on Beijing, slandering it and interfering in its internal affairs.

“Ignoring China’s position and objective facts, grossly interfering in China’s internal affairs, maliciously slandering China, and once again using the Russian-Ukrainian conflict to put pressure on China are all absurd rhetoric not worth the trouble,” Lijian said.

pressure meeting 

Earlier, the foreign ministers of the G7 countries held a meeting in Germany, at which, among other things, they agreed to strengthen the isolation of Russia in all areas due to a special operation in Ukraine.

Thus, sectors of the economy on which Russia is most dependent should be subject to even tougher sanctions, they said.

In addition, the foreign ministers of the G7 countries said they would never recognize changes in the borders of Ukraine, including Crimea.

They also promised to continue providing the Kyiv regime with weapons.

In their final communiqué, the heads of the diplomats of the G7 countries also turned to Beijing, which they urged to "support, in accordance with international law, the sovereignty of Ukraine, its independence and the integrity of its internationally recognized borders, and also strongly urge Russia to stop military aggression against Ukraine."

• G7 summit in 2021 in the UK

• AP

• © Kevin Lamarque/Pool

In addition, the G7 countries called on the PRC not to help Moscow and not to circumvent the sanctions imposed against the Russian Federation after the start of the special operation.

“We call on China not to assist Russia in its aggressive war against Ukraine, not to undermine the sanctions imposed on Russia for encroaching on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, not to justify Russia’s actions in Ukraine, and to refrain from manipulating information, spreading disinformation and other ways of legitimization aggressive war of Russia against Ukraine,” the statement said.

However, it does not specify what the consequences might be.

Zhao Lijian called this call inappropriate and recalled Beijing's independent position.

“China always solves problems by taking an independent position.

We are unequivocally against unilateral sanctions that do not take into account international law and the role of the UN, ”TASS quoted the diplomat as saying. 

He added that the sanctions are not capable of resolving the conflict, but will only create new and complex problems.

China, Zhao Lijian added, expects other political decisions from the G7 to resolve the situation around Ukraine.

At the same time, Beijing will not disregard the actions of Western countries if they begin to infringe on Chinese national interests under the pretext of non-compliance with the sanctions, the diplomat stressed.

The statement of the foreign ministers of the G7 countries was also commented on in Moscow.

So, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev called their demands interference in the affairs of the PRC.

“The G7 countries call on China not to help Russia circumvent sanctions, not to justify its actions and not to provide it with military assistance.

This is a continuation of direct interference in the affairs of China and a hint that we can punish you too, if anything, ”he wrote in his Telegram channel.

Geopolitical rear

Recall that earlier the United States called on China not to provide assistance to Russia and to use the necessary influence to influence Moscow in connection with the events in Ukraine.

In mid-April, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that otherwise China would sacrifice its reputation in the world community.

It is worth noting that Chinese officials refrain from making statements that would express direct support for Russia's actions in Ukraine.

However, Beijing has repeatedly made it clear that it takes into account and understands Moscow's position regarding the current military-political situation in the world.

• Beijing

• Gettyimages.ru

• © bjdlzx

Even before the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine, the Chinese newspaper Global Times wrote that the West should not provoke Moscow, but should listen to legitimate security concerns in Europe.

In March, the Global Times published an article in which it noted that the United States was trying to use the situation in Ukraine to drive a wedge between Beijing and Moscow.

The newspaper notes that Russia is a major independent power, and called Washington's demands to influence it frivolous.

Despite the absence of direct statements of support for Russia, it is obvious that China is beginning to feel annoyed by attempts by Western countries to put pressure on it on the Ukrainian issue and is increasingly converging on positions with Moscow, Konstantin Blokhin, a leading researcher at the Center for Security Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said in an interview with RT .

“China is trying to prevent Western countries from doing what they did against Russia.

The West is now in Russia demonstrating what tools of containment can be applied to China.

Beijing warns first of all these countries against such actions, because it understands very well that if they deal with Russia, then China is next in line, ”the political scientist said.

Even before the start of the special operation in Ukraine, Washington essentially formed a new anti-Chinese military alliance under the auspices of the AUKUS partnership, Konstantin Blokhin recalled.

“China sees how new blocks are being formed in the Asia-Pacific region.

The trend towards division into alliances continues to intensify, this is confirmed by the change in the status of countries such as Finland and Sweden.

In such a situation it is difficult to remain neutral.

It is necessary to take a specific position, because a new bloc system is being formed, ”the expert noted.

China must realize that, despite the integration of its economy with the United States, it will be next in line as the goal of a policy of maximum pressure and containment, said Konstantin Blokhin.

“If Russia is eliminated, then he will have no one to seek support from.

China will be extremely vulnerable without Russia, it will be isolated from all sides, it will lose access to energy resources, ”the RT interlocutor emphasized.

China obviously draws a parallel between the situation in Eastern Europe and what is happening near its coasts in the South China and East China Seas, Yevgeny Grachikov, an expert at the Center for Research on World Socialism at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said in an interview with RT.

“There is a direct relationship between them.

China is unhappy with the activity of US warships in the South China Sea, and it sees a direct threat in the spread of NATO influence in the Asia-Pacific region.

For Beijing, it is not indifferent that the collective West can approach it with all its might.

So far, China has been supporting Russia behind the scenes, based on the understanding that Russia is its kind of geopolitical rear, ”the analyst emphasized.

Also, Beijing cannot accept the point of view of Western countries that their values ​​are universal for all countries and societies of the world, Evgeny Grachikov explained.

“This is the point of view that the West formulates universal values, and the rest of the world outside the West can only formulate local views that are not valuable.

Therefore, all countries outside the West should take an example from it, adopt a model of behavior and political attitudes, including on human rights.

The statement of the Chinese Foreign Ministry is a response to this position of exclusivity in international relations, ”concluded the interlocutor of RT.