China has long perceived Ukraine as a «puppet of the West» — expert

Switzerland hosted the Global Peace Summit, which was attended by representatives from over 90 countries. However, China was notably absent. Engaging China in the international dialogue on ending the war and supporting the Ukrainian peace formula is a key task for Ukrainian diplomacy, as China wields significant influence over Russia and the countries of the Global South.

This was stated by Oleksandr Krayev, an expert at the Foreign Policy Council «Ukrainian Prism,» on Hromadske Radio.

«We must understand that China’s position will never be completely pro-Ukrainian and pro-Western. We should not consider a scenario in which China will support us. For us, the ideal scenario is that China will at least perceive the framework of the Ukrainian peace formula or our framework of the negotiation format as the only approach that can be used to peacefully resolve the war unleashed by Russia.

As long as China does not support the Russian option of ending the war and negotiations, its position will be adequate for us. Moreover, China has long perceived Ukraine as a puppet of the West and has said so many times. Therefore, we need to do everything possible to ensure that China continues to talk to us and stay in contact. Then it will be less interested in letting Russia win», — Krayev said.

According to him, China has made it clear that it considers the United States to be the only «full-fledged» player in the international arena, aside from itself. From the perspective of the Chinese geopolitical paradigm, Ukraine is not an independent participant in international relations.

«According to China’s newest paradigm, clearly outlined in the communiqué of the San Francisco meeting, there are only two states in the world with claims to systemicity: the United States and China. They interestingly noted that ‘there is enough space in the world for these two states to develop in parallel and without conflict.’ In other words, China clearly shows that it sees no need for productive relations with anyone other than the United States», — Krayev says.

In his opinion, in such a situation, it is important for Ukrainian diplomats to work on building relations with China not only through direct communications with representatives of the PRC but also in coordination with American partners.

«This is not only a question of our diplomacy with China but also a question of our diplomacy with the United States. How we work together with the Americans to analyze threats, determine when and what steps should be taken, and create a strategy for communication with China», — Krayev explains.