China–Ukraine relations

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Sino–Ukrainian relations
Map indicating locations of China and Ukraine

China
Ukraine
Chinese consulate-general in Odesa, Ukraine.

China–Ukraine relations are foreign relations between Ukraine and China. The earliest contact in record between the nations date back to the first Russian Orthodox mission in China in 1715, which was led by the Ukrainian Archimandrite Hilarion (Lezhaysky).[1] As part of the Soviet Union, Ukraine recognized the People's Republic of China in October 1949.[2] After Ukraine gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, the two countries built formal diplomatic relations in 1992,[2][3] and declared a strategic partnership in 2011.[3][4]

China has an embassy in Kyiv and a Consulate-General in Odessa. Ukraine has an embassy in Beijing and a Consulate-General in Shanghai. According to the Chinese embassy in Ukraine, over 6,000 Chinese citizens work or study in Ukraine.[5] 50,000 to 100,000 Ukrainian citizens live in China, as estimated by the Ukrainian embassy in China, especially in the cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Harbin.[6]

Historical relations[]

The historical contact between the Chinese and the Ukrainian can date back to the first Russian Orthodox mission arrived in Beijing, the capital of Qing dynasty of China in 1715. The mission was led by the Ukrainian Archimandrite Hilarion Lezhaysky. The archimandrite was a graduate of the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, and was a teacher at Chernihiv, before coming to China. Many of his successors in the mission were also from Ukraine, such as Gervasius Lentsovsky who arrived in China in 1742. The fathers also brought back knowledge to Ukraine. Thus, there were a number of original Chinese books found in Kharkiv College founded in 1722. The first-ever Chinese to visit Ukraine in record was the diplomatic mission led by Li Hongzhang who landed Odessa in 1896 and crossed the vast land of the Russian empire before finally arriving in the empire's capital Saint Petersburg.[1] Before the First World War, there were sparse Chinese migrants to Odessa. To fill the manpower shortage caused by casualties during the First World War, it is estimated that six to seven thousand Chinese workers were recruited to Ukraine during the war.[1]

On 24 November 1966, during the UN General Assembly 21st session 2159th meeting, as the Republic of China cited the dual representation of Belarus, Ukraine and the Soviet Union to support similar arrangement regarding China, the Ukrainian representative argued against such arrangement and supported repelling the representative of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and restoration of the seat of the People's Republic of China.[7] On 25 October 1972, the Ukrainian representative voted to support the People's Republic of China to take the seat of China. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the People's Republic of China first established relations with Ukraine in 1992, despite Taiwanese attempt.[7][8]

Political relations[]

Since 1991, the China–Ukraine relations undergo different stages which involves intensification and periods of cooling or freezing.[4] From 1992 to 2004, the bilateral relations intensified, resulting in trade, economic, military-technical, scientific, educational, and cultural cooperation and two exchanged state visits.[4] However, as Kyiv allowed a Taiwanese official to visit Ukraine for a meeting by International Crisis Group in 2005, the political relations froze throughout the presidency of Viktor Yushchenko (2005-2010).[4] With Viktor Yanukovych elected president in 2010, China revived the political contact with Ukraine, as two countries signed Joint Declaration on Establishment and Development of Strategic Partnership in 2011.[4] However, since the Maidan Revolution took place in Ukraine in 2014, China only has kept the official contact with Ukraine low-key, as the Chinese elites consider it as an alerting western-sponsored action.[9]

Nuclear security guarantee[]

In a unilateral governmental statement in 1994, China provided Ukraine with nuclear security guarantee, where China states its inclination to peaceful settlement of differences and disputes by way of fair consultations.[10] In December 2013, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping signed a bilateral treaty and published a joint statement, where China reaffirmed that it will provide Ukraine with nuclear security guarantees upon nuclear invasion or threats of invasion.[11][12] However, the initial coverage by Xinhua, China's official press agency, avoided the term "nuclear umbrella", but said that China is offering Ukraine "security guarantee,"[13] though People's Daily, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-affiliated state media used the headline "China offers Ukraine nuclear umbrella protection", which has been censored since.[12] According to Wu Dahui, a professor at the Department of International Relations at Tsinghua University in Beijing, the promise is simply a manifestation of Beijing's global nonproliferation responsibilities.[13]

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine[]

Main article: 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

The US officials claim they warned China of the war with evidence and urged China to stop the war during the three months prior to the war, which was, however, disbelieved by their Chinese counterparts. [14][5] When asked whether she would call the war a Russian invasion, China's assistant foreign minister, Hua Chunying, also refused to give a clear yes or no answer and instead criticised the West for deteriorating the situation, blaming the US to be "the culprit of current tensions surrounding Ukraine" and reminding the public that the NATO owes China a “debt of blood” since the United States bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade in 1999.[15] The official media also avoided referring to the conflicts as an invasion.[16]

Analysts believe that due to deteriorating China-US relationship, China is more likely to tacitly support Russia,[9][5][17] yet China is also unlikely to openly support Russian actions in Ukraine due to the controversial political status of Taiwan.[18] The Chinese ambassador expressed Chinese support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine to the Ukrainian media prior to the war.[19] The Chinese government also does not recognise Russian annexation of Crimea, and has restricted contact with the occupation authorities.[20] China abstained in the related UN Security Council votes.[21] China also implemented the Western-led sanctions, despite criticism against sanctions.[22]

The muddled official responses to the war has led to rare debates over Russian military actions on the social media.[16] As the Ukrainian embassy issued a statement in Chinese condemning Russia on the Chinese Twitter-like social media Weibo, the topic soon became the most heated on the platform, with the hashtag "Ukraine issues statement on Weibo" viewed over 300 million times in a day.[23] The governments of the US, the UK, EU countries and Russia also issued statements on Weibo in response to the war.[24] However, Beijing's failure to criticise Russia worsens local attitudes towards the stranded Chinese citizens, although Beijing also signals willingness to mediate in the war.[25]

On 17 March, the Chinese Ambassador to Ukraine, Fan Xianrong said that China will support Ukraine both economically and politically.[26]

On 19 March, Ukraine asked China to join Western countries in condemning "Russian brutality," after the US warned China of dire consequences if it aids Moscow's invasion of the country with material support.[27]

Trade relations[]

The two countries have built a strong trade ties,[4] specifically since 2008.[28][29] China has become Ukraine's largest trading partner since 2019,[30] with a trade turnover of 15.4 billion US dollar in 2020, of which Ukraine exports goods worth 7.1 billion US dollar. The total trade turnover increased from 2% of Ukraine's GDP in 2001 to 11% in 2020.[31][4] The two countries has cooperated closely in term of the military-technical domain and in the space industry, with some famous bilateral projects, such as the Chinese purchase of the Ukrainian aircraft-carrier Varyag in 1998, which later became China's first aircraft carrier Liaoning in 2012.[4][11] By 2018 Ukraine had replaced the United States as the largest exporter of corn to China, and has begun supplying China with modern jet engines for military craft.[32][33]

During the 2009 flu pandemic in Ukraine the Chinese government allocated free aid worth a total of 3.5 million yuan ($500,000) to supply diagnostic devices, facemasks, eyeglasses, gloves, and other means of protection for Ukraine.[34] From 2016 to 2021 China's investment in Ukraine rose from $50 million to $260 million.[31] Despite a small share of total foreign direct investment (FDI), 0.5%, their growth rate is significantly ahead of FDI growth in general.[31] Mostly Chinese state-owned companies invest in Ukrainian state-owned companies.[31] Loans are usually also provided by state-owned banks.[31] Chinese companies most primarily work with Ukrainian ones in the energy sector and agriculture.[31]

Twinnings[]

  • China Beijing and Ukraine Kyiv
  • China Chongqing and Ukraine Zaporizhia
  • China Jinan and Ukraine Kharkiv
  • China Qingdao and Ukraine Odessa
  • China Suzhou and Ukraine Kyiv
  • China Taiyuan and Ukraine Donetsk
  • China Tianjin and Ukraine Kharkiv
  • China Wuhan and Ukraine Kyiv
  • China Xi'an and Ukraine Dnipro
  • China Xuzhou and Ukraine Kropyvnytskyi
  • China Handan and Ukraine Kryvyi Rih
  • China Suzhou and Ukraine Zaporizhia

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c Lin, Jun (1995). "中国与乌克兰历史上的联系及十月革命前旅乌华工" [Historical ties between China and Ukraine and the Chinese workers in Ukraine before the October Revolution]. Seeking Truth (in Chinese). 5: 80–85. doi:10.19667/j.cnki.cn23-1070/c.1995.05.017 – via CNKI.
  2. ^ a b China, Ukraine agree to enhance cooperation, UNIAN (October 28, 2009)
  3. ^ a b "中国同乌克兰的关系" [China's relations with Ukraine]. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China. 2021-08-01. Archived from the original on 2017-05-20. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h "The China-Ukraine Partnership: Surviving a Deteriorating Strategic Environment". Institut Montaigne. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
  5. ^ a b c "China starts evacuating citizens from Ukraine: Reports | The Straits Times". The Strait Times. 2022-03-01. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
  6. ^ "Ukrainians in China: far from home but close to the conflict". South China Morning Post. 2022-02-26. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
  7. ^ a b 胡斐穎 (2013-06-01). "烏克蘭與中華民國─從橘色革命運動圍巾談起" (PDF). 國史研究通訊 (6): 199. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-03-10. Retrieved 2018-03-11.
  8. ^ 于振起 (2009-05-28). 孙琳 (ed.). "驻外札记5：卫生部长挨批". 天津日报. 中国共产党新闻网党史频道. Archived from the original on 2018-03-10. Retrieved 2018-03-10.
  9. ^ a b Kaczmarski, Marcin; Kuhrt, Natasha. "Ukraine invasion: why China is more likely to support Russia than in the past". The Conversation. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
  10. ^ Vasylenko, Volodymyr (2009-12-15). "On assurances without guarantees in a "shelved document"". The Day.
  11. ^ a b Goncharuk, Andrey; Hobova, Evgeniia V; Kiktenko, Viktor; Koval, Alex; Koshovy, Serhiy (2016). Betliy, Olena (ed.). Foreign Policy Audit: Ukraine-China. Kyiv: Institute of World Policy.
  12. ^ a b Gertz, Bill. "Putin's war tests China's nuclear pact with Ukraine". The Washington Times. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
  13. ^ a b Conroy, Christian (2014-01-26). "China's Nuclear Parasol". The Diplomat. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
  14. ^ Wong, Edward (2022-02-25). "U.S. Officials Repeatedly Urged China to Help Avert War in Ukraine". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
  15. ^ "World Reaction to the Invasion of Ukraine | Wilson Center". Wilson Center. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
  16. ^ a b "China's Muddled Ukraine Response Feeds Rare Domestic Debate". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
  17. ^ "China signals willingness to mediate in Ukraine-Russia war". the Guardian. 2022-03-01. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
  18. ^ Cheng, Evelyn (2022-02-24). "China refuses to call Russian attack on Ukraine an 'invasion,' deflects blame to U.S." CNBC. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
  19. ^ "Посол Китаю в Україні Фань Сяньжун: Політична взаємодовіра – основа міцної китайсь��о-української дружби". www.ukrinform.ua (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2022-03-02.
  20. ^ "China confirms non-recognition of attempted annexation of Crimea and ban on contacts with occupation authorities". www.ukrinform.net. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
  21. ^ Nichols, Michelle; Pamuk, Humeyra (2022-02-26). "Russia vetoes U.N. Security action on Ukraine as China abstains". Reuters. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
  22. ^ "China will not come to Russia's rescue: US official over Ukraine crisis". The Times of India. February 27, 2022. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
  23. ^ "Ukraine crisis poses dilemma for China but also opportunity". the Guardian. 2022-02-22. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
  24. ^ "Weibo a new 'battlefield' of words in Russia-Ukraine crisis". SHINE. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
  25. ^ Hille, Kathrin (2022-03-02). "Chinese people stranded in Kyiv become target of Ukrainian anger". Financial Times. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
  26. ^ "China will never attack Ukraine, ambassador assures". www.ukrinform.net.
  27. ^ "Ukraine calls on China to condemn Russia's invasion". Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera. AL Jazeera. 19 March 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  28. ^ Ukraine hopes to step up trade, economic cooperation with China, says premier Archived 2012-02-29 at the Wayback Machine, Interfax-Ukraine (June 22, 2009)
  29. ^ China wants to invest in construction of large ring road around Kyiv, says Tymoshenko Archived 2012-02-29 at the Wayback Machine, Interfax-Ukraine (June 22, 2009)
  30. ^ "War Puts Billions of Dollars in Ukraine-China Trade at Risk". VOA. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
  31. ^ a b c d e f (in Ukrainian) China has quadrupled its investment in Ukraine in five years, Ekonomisha Pravda (24 September 2021)
  32. ^ Ramani, Samuel (24 July 2015). "Hey, Putin, have you seen how much China is investing in Ukraine?". www.washingtonpost.com. WaPo. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  33. ^ Genin, Aaron (August 23, 2018). "Kiev's New Partner: A Betrayal of U.S. Interests". The California Review. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  34. ^ China to allocate $500,000 to Ukraine to fight epidemic of flu, Kyiv Post (November 6, 2009)

External links[]

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