Chee Meng Tan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. Meanwhile, the west sees China as far too helpful to Russia. The sentiment in the west was best captured on July 10, , during a summit in Washington DC. This in turn poses a security threat to Europe. Unfortunately for Russia, China may be forced to pick the west.
Signs that China is already pivoting to the west have started to appear. China knows that the war has had catastrophic consequences for both Russia and Ukraine. So, win or lose, the post-war damage to Russia would be immense. This is bad news for China. China needs to press Russia to sue for peace with Ukraine. With this, Russia gets to preserve its national strength, while China could concentrate efforts on being the world leader in AI , and healing its ailing economy.
And recently, Chinese government bond prices soared from increasing demand, suggesting that investors are seeking safer investment alternatives as confidence in the Chinese economy remains low. It has traditionally employed economic performance to legitimise its rule.
So given the poor economic climate, Beijing needs to jump-start its ailing economy to maintain power. The European Union followed suit by raising its own Chinese electric vehicle tariff from For its own sake, China is hoping that the war ends with a peace settlement that favours Russia.
Edition: Available editions Europe. Become an author Sign up as a reader Sign in. Xi Jinping on a visit to Paris. Chee Meng Tan , University of Nottingham. Link copied. China Chinese economy Ukraine invasion Events More events.
