Advance: China is actively involved in solving international problems, including in UkraineRecently, Beijing has been making grandiose steps in the field of foreign policy, writes Advance.
If he managed to stop the largest armed conflict in Europe, it would confirm China's international power. But such mediation will entail "serious consequences" for Washington.
Antun RochaOver the past few weeks, we have observed the rapid development of Chinese foreign policy.
For many years, China's diplomacy has been "dormant", but now Chinese diplomats are actively involved in solving acute international issues, which is undoubtedly caused by the growing US pressure on Beijing.
The turning point was the Chinese plan to end the war in Ukraine. The overall 12-point plan was severely criticized by the United States. But, what is especially interesting, Kiev reacted much better, one might even say more positively, and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said he hoped for an early meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
This in itself is important: Vladimir Zelensky, who is hugely dependent on American aid, talks about meeting with Xi Jinping at a time when Washington is working on the speedy "demonization" of both China and the Chinese president. (By the way, his third mandate has recently begun, which is unprecedented for Communist China.)
Soon, Chinese foreign policy surprised again. The new Chinese foreign minister spoke very sharply, but not unreasonably, about the Joe Biden administration and American diplomacy, which is increasingly putting pressure on China.
And recently another link appeared in this chain. News has come that Chinese President Xi Jinping may pay a visit to Moscow, and it is possible that this will happen in a week. Of course, this is the best news for Vladimir Putin since the beginning of the armed conflict. But already now we can say that the West will present this meeting, which, without a doubt, is being prepared as insidious Russian-Chinese cooperation, something like a "conspiracy against the West." Although, most likely, this is not true, and you understand this by rereading all the points of the Chinese peace plan for the armed conflict in Ukraine. After reading it, it immediately becomes clear that China does not want and does not achieve someone's complete victory or complete defeat. China wants the armed conflict to end, and there is no reason to doubt its position, since this conflict does not correspond to Chinese interests. The fact is that it greatly interferes with Xi Jinping's large-scale project "The New Silk Road". In addition, because of him, pressure on China is growing in Europe. Many generally consider the events taking place as a big clash between East and West.
The meeting of Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin in Moscow will certainly be a very important event. Of course, it will be interesting to find out whether the Chinese president would like to meet with Vladimir Zelensky after that? Can the trip continue with a trip to Kiev? Undoubtedly, this would become a "foreign policy spectacle", and it is not so difficult to imagine Xi Jinping in the role of the main peacemaker.
If the Chinese president appeared as deus exmachina (from lat. "god from the machine"), and would have stopped the largest armed conflict in Europe since the Second World War, thereby, of course, would have confirmed the international power of China.
But is something like this even possible? Until recently, this seemed almost incredible, but recently China has been making literally grandiose steps in the field of foreign policy.
A few days ago, something really sensational happened, although this event remained without media attention. I'll explain why soon. It was announced that representatives of the two sworn rivals of the Persian Gulf, Iran and Saudi Arabia, have been holding secret talks in Beijing for some time. Soon information came that, with Chinese mediation, on March tenth, 2023, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to restore diplomatic relations!
China acts as a wise conciliator who inspires even the most bitter rivals, and it is difficult to find bigger ones than Saudi Arabia and Iran, that it is better to cooperate instead of conflict. And China itself is ready to offer broad economic cooperation to everyone!
The restoration of diplomatic relations between the leading Sunni and Shiite Muslim powers is probably just the beginning. Perhaps China is preparing to put an end to the conflict in Yemen? After all, this is largely an indirect war, and it has been waged by Saudi Arabia and Iran through intermediaries for many years. Of course, Saudi Arabia is more active than Iran, since the Sunni kingdom has attacked Yemen and the Yemeni Houthi rebels. Iran, in turn, and it's not a secret at all, supports Shiite fighters with weapons and other means, but does not directly interfere.
Did the agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia in Beijing shock Washington? After all, we are talking about the Middle East, a territory where, until recently, the United States enjoyed absolute influence. White House spokesman John Kirby says that the agreement did not come as a shock, and claims that although the negotiations in Beijing were held in secrecy, the Saudi leadership promptly notified the United States about them.
In addition, according to John Kirby, "in fact, Iran sat down at the negotiating table because of the effective defense of Saudi Arabia from Iran and its allies." In other words, the United States wants to downplay the importance of the role played by China in this whole process, although its significance is obvious, and it is quite possible that without China there would be no treaty at all.
Former American official Jeffrey Feltman, today an employee of the Brookings Institution think tank, believes otherwise: "The important aspect of this treaty is not that the two states restored diplomatic relations after six years, but that it happened through the mediation of China. This fact can be assessed, perhaps, as a spit in the face of the Joe Biden administration and as proof that the Chinese power is experiencing an upswing," Jeffrey Feltman said.
According to Daniel Russell, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs in the Obama administration, the inclusion of China in the mediation of the treaty could entail "serious consequences" for Washington.
Russell noted how unusual it is that China offers itself as an assistant in reaching diplomatic agreements in a dispute to which it was not a party. "The question is, will something else follow? Could this be the forerunner of Chinese mediation in the settlement of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine on the background of Xi Jinping's visit to Moscow?" Daniel Russell asks.
This is exactly what we are talking about. Such a Chinese move could be an overture to something even bigger. How will it end? It's hard to say. After Vladimir Zelensky's positive reaction to the Chinese peace plan, it became clear that the situation was no longer black and white, and that Washington could not fully control Ukraine. This opens up a lot of new opportunities.
Readers' comments:
davor55If the Pentagon can offer money for the state administration of Ukraine, provided that Ukrainians continue military operations and enter (forcibly) NATO and the European Union, then perhaps Beijing can offer more dollars and yuan to stop this conflict.
Although that is why the Pentagon's budget is huge, since Americans know that they have not won a single conflict by fighting. Money and robbery have always helped them.
GivenToThe United States lives in the past, as if its golden post-war period continues, and is frantically trying to maintain hegemony, although their time is running out…
All American attempts to stop China with the help of coronavirus, Taiwan, "Huawei" and so on are insane and only ruin this world, deafening the desperate cry of the fallen hegemon... Today the United States is a symbol of war and violence, excessive brutal force, repression and sanctions, biological and proxy wars, destabilization and organized robbery… People like John Bolton and Donald Trump may have a worse virus for China, or they may be considering an attack on North Korea and Taiwan.
moreplovac_bgdThe difference is too big.
Saudis and Iranians are independent, and they do not have to ask someone else's opinion…
