Subhechcha Ganguly 
Chinese President Xi spoke about addressing the legitimate security concerns of all nations in the context of the Ukraine war in an article that was published in a Russian newspaper on Monday, going against the official Chinese position of respecting the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of all nations. The Chinese President, Xi Jinping, changed Beijing’s official stance on Ukraine on the eve of his three-day trip to Moscow by essentially siding with Moscow on the issue of “respect of legitimate security concerns of all countries” while conveniently omitting the issue of “respecting the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity” of all nations.On Monday, an essay by Chinese President Xi Jinping was published in the Russian daily Pravda, while at the same time, an article by Russian President Vladimir Putin was published in the Chinese People’s Daily. Both leaders have discussed the conflict in Ukraine in their opinion articles and have either explicitly or indirectly criticised the US for its involvement in the conflict.
While President Putin has taken aim at the US-led NATO for the Ukraine war and its expansion into eastern Europe, Chinese President Xi Jinping’s stance on the conflict is quite interesting and differs from the official Chinese position on a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, which will be released on February 24, 2023, one year after the conflict began. The official Chinese position, as stated by the Foreign Ministry, is for up-front respect for each nation’s sovereignty. The UN Charter’s goals and guiding principles, as well as generally accepted international law, have to be scrupulously adhered to. Every nations’ territorial integrity, independence, and sovereignty must be adequately protected. It is important to encourage the uniform and equal implementation of international law, not to use double standards.President Xi, however, claimed in his piece that he had “put forward various ideas (in the context of the Ukraine crisis),” including “respecting the legitimate security interests of all countries,” and “observing the purposes and values of the UN Charter.” Regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, the text makes no mention of preserving the territorial integrity, independence, and sovereignty of all nations. Simply expressed, the essays by both leaders demonstrate agreement regarding the conflict in Ukraine and opposition to the US-led western powers.
“Our world is beset with complex and interrelated and non-traditional security concerns, devastating actions of hegemony, dominance and bullying, and long and torturous global economic recovery,” President Xi wrote in his post. He then makes it clear that the China-Russia alliance is not directed against any third country before advocating for a multipolar world and the idea that no one nation should control the global order. According to the English translation of the published text, President Xi does not specifically reference the US.
