A senior Chinese government official was quoted questioning the West’s growing list of sanctions against Russia and its people, suggesting that the West’s previous use of sanctions should serve as evidence that they “cannot solve problems” related to international diplomacy, according to Reuters.
The news agency reported that Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng expressed sympathy with Russia’s position against NATO, and suggested the sanctions will only hurt average Russians and the global economy.
Apparently Yucheng said NATO should not push further east, as it would force Russia “into a corner.”
“The sanctions against Russia are getting more and more outrageous,” said the senior government official at what Reuters described as a “security forum in Beijing.”
Yucheng said Russians are being punished “for no reason” and suggested the sanctions will not achieve the West’s goal of weakening Russia economically or its president, Vladimir Putin, politically.
“History has proven time and time again that sanctions cannot solve problems,” said Yucheng. “Sanctions will only harm ordinary people, impact the global and financial system… and worsen the global economy.”
Sanctions against Russia continue to reach new heights. Two obscure examples of sanctions include Russian cats being banned from competition and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s black belt being revoked.
Anti-Russian sentiment has quickly spread into culture as well. Recently, Papa John’s was forced to defend its decision not to close its nearly 200 Russian locations.
More recently, the name of the first man in space – Russian Yuri Gagarin – has also been stripped from an event. Gagarin has been dead since 1968.
The remarks come as China has thus far refused to join the majority of nations in condemning Russia’s actions in Ukraine. It was one of only a few nations not to vote to condemn Russia in the United Nations.
Foreign policy experts and pundits have expressed concern about an emerging Sino-Russian alliance that would see two of the world’s largest countries and most powerful armed forces pitted against the United States and the West.
At the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the country apparently asked China for military and economic assistance.
While there is no confirmation that such assistance was granted, Russia has looked toward China and its economy to provide critical services that were cut off by Western sanctions.
At the same time, China is reportedly in high level talks with Saudi Arabia regarding the oil it buys from the OPEC+ cartel member nation that has historically been an ally of the United States.
The Saudi Arabian monarchy, apparently unhappy with its alliance with the United States due to the Biden administration’s handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal and its decision to pursue a nuclear deal with Iran, may begin selling oil to China in exchange for the Chinese yuan as opposed to the American dollar.
China is not the only country to undermine U.S.-led sanctions by continuing or strengthening its relationship with Russia.
India recently announced that it is finalizing an alternative payment system that would allow India to import Russian products while paying in rupees, and Russia to import Indian products while paying in rubles, thus circumventing the U.S. dollar and Western sanctions.
Russia invaded Ukraine last month after a years long standoff over the disputed Donbass region. Russia claims it launched a “special military operation” to defend ethnic Russians from Ukrainian state violence, while Ukraine and the international community say the invasion was completely unprovoked.
