January 4, 2022, marked the thirtieth anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Ukraine and the People’s Republic of China. Through the years, Ukrainian scholars of Chinese have made considerable efforts toward the successful, sustainable development of Ukrainian-Chinese trade, as well as economic and scientific-technical cooperation. The Ukrainian Association of Chinese Studies has welcomed and promoted the establishment and development of a strategic partnership between Ukraine and China.
The inviolable principles of bilateral cooperation between our countries have always been respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, non-interference in internal affairs, and the promotion of peaceful and harmonious development.
Early in the morning of February 24, 2022, without declaring war, the Russian Federation treacherously launched missile and bomb strikes on peaceful Ukrainian cities and began large-scale military aggression against our Motherland. A month and a half of bloody fighting has passed. During this time, the Armed Forces of Ukraine has caused significant damage to the aggressor. The Russian army has lost about 20,000 killed, more than 700 tanks, up to 2,000 armored vehicles, and more than 300 planes and helicopters.
Ukraine is paying a high price for its desire for freedom and independence. The Russian aggressors have destroyed Mariupol (a city with a pre-war population of half a million) and dozens of other cities and villages. Significant damage has been inflicted on Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Mykolayiv, and other regional centers of Ukraine. Thousands of Ukrainian civilians, including hundreds of children, have fallen victim to carpet bombing and massive shelling.
After the liberation of the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine from the invaders, the whole world was exposed to the terrible picture of large-scale crimes committed by the Russian military against the civilian population of Ukraine. People were shocked to learn of the Bucha Massacre in a small town near Kyiv. Numerous testimonies of killings, torture, and rape of Ukrainian civilians, including children, have provoked outrage around the world. At the request of more than 40 countries, the International Criminal Court in The Hague has launched an investigation into Russia’s war crimes against Ukraine. Leaders and parliaments of many countries have already named Vladimir Putin a war criminal.
For many years, the People’s Republic of China has opposed global hegemony, condemned all forms of aggression, and advocated for world peace. Today, when Ukraine is a victim of Russian hegemony and military aggression, voices are heard in China justifying it. Ukraine has the right to request that China express a clear attitude toward Russia’s actions.
We are disappointed that we haven’t heard any statements from the Chinese ambassador, while the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, the leaders of Austria, Poland, and Slovenia, and high-ranking officials from a number of other countries have all visited Kyiv.
In the 19th century, China fell victim to imperialist aggression. The whole world knows about the “century of humiliation and shame” of the Chinese people by the imperialist countries. Today, when there are words in China about Russia’s special interests in Ukraine, Ukrainians have the right to compare Russia’s attitude toward Ukraine with the attitude of imperialist states toward China during the time of shame and humiliation.
Kremlin propaganda denies the numerous crimes committed in Ukraine by the Russian military. Ukrainians have the right to ask: how would the Chinese react if Russia said that the ‘Nanjing Massacre” of 1937 was fake? Perhaps the Chinese public would be better informed about the real situation in Ukraine if the activities of Chinese media in Ukraine had not been curtailed since the beginning of the war. Dozens of foreign journalists have already visited the liberated Bucha, but unfortunately no Chinese journalists have been there.
Doesn’t China see a direct analogy between the Kremlin-supported puppets, the so-called “Donetsk People’s Republic” and the “Luhansk People’s Republic” and the puppet “Manchukuo” created by militaristic Japan in China in 1932? It was this quasi-state that was used as a springboard for militaristic Japan’s aggression against China. Today, Russia is using the DNR and LNR to launch aggression against Ukraine.
Public statements by Chinese officials have repeatedly stated that there are no countries large or small, important or unimportant. On April 11, 2022, the Renmin Zhibao newspaper wrote: “The current Ukrainian crisis is the result of a game of geopolitical chess, where the United States, acting as the main chess player, is stepping up pressure on Russia with the help of a pawn in the form of Ukraine.” In this regard, the question arises: since when does China consider its strategic partner a “pawn in someone else’s game”? For our part, we consider it important to clarify that the “Ukrainian crisis” arose as a result of Russia’s direct armed aggression against Ukraine. Ukrainians are fighting for their freedom and independence.
The battle for Ukraine’s future in Donbass will be a turning point in human history, and as it unfolds, Ukrainian sinologists hope that the People’s Republic of China will be faithful to the Ukrainian-Chinese Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation, as well as to other bilateral declarations and statements, such as the one made on December 5, 1994, when the People’s Republic of China provided security guarantees in connection with Ukraine’s renunciation of the world’s third nuclear arsenal. We hope that China will not only take an active part in rebuilding Ukraine after our victory, but will also join in creating a new system of global security.