During the call on Friday, Biden and Xi discussed the war in Ukraine. It was the first direct meeting between the heads of state since November.
(Photo: AP)
Just a few minutes after the end of the phone call between China’s head of state Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden, Chinese state media published an initial statement. The central message: China presents itself as a neutral actor calling for peace talks.
These quick statements are made out of calculation. China wants to determine the global discourse in this way. Media around the world jumped at the first available information and spread the Chinese perspective, especially since the announcement from the White House followed hours later.
But such propaganda tricks are increasingly met with resentment in the West. Because actions count, not words.
For years, the ruling Communist Party has been trying to reinterpret, i.e. soften, universal values such as democracy and human rights. The Russian invasion of Ukraine shows how far China’s re-framing goes.
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Like a mantra, the state leadership emphasizes that the supreme priority of its foreign policy is mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as mutual non-aggression.
China does not want to talk about a Russian invasion
Yet she refuses to label the Russian invasion of Ukraine as such, let alone condemn it. Rather, she refers to Russia’s security interests and describes the sanctions imposed by the West as illegal. What’s more: Shortly before the phone call between Biden and Xi, an anonymous Chinese government official in an article in the state-run newspaper “Global Times” even accused the USA of “causing” the Ukraine crisis.
All of this makes it clear that China is anything but neutral. The Chinese government must also be measured by the demands that Xi made to Biden in the phone call to work together towards peace in Ukraine.
More: Xi urges Biden to hold peace talks with Russia – Biden warns China not to help Putin