International Relations
Interview
China’s EVs and European Disunity: A Geoeconomic Playbook
7 October 2024
22 April 2022
There has been some expectation in Ukraine and in some quarters of the west that China may use its influence and pressure Russia to end its war in Ukraine.
As the war nears the end of its second month and the world has been horrified by the discovery of mass killings in Bucha, there is no evidence that China may want to step in and persuade Russia to cease its violence.
China remains ostensibly neutral but, in reality, it promotes the Russian narrative, and it helps Russia in several ways: including economically and financially.
Whilst China will be cautious, there is no credible reason to expect that it will assume the role of the peacemaker in Ukraine. At the same time, the existing interest and ideological proximity between China and Russia suggest that China will continue to side with Moscow in every way possible.