WIREDGOV

In at least three areas Europe and China’s interests align that harm Russia: preventing Putin from war with NATO, Russian de-industrialisation, and safeguarding NATO.

With the fifth year of the war in Ukraine now underway, it is clear that the conclusion of the war is still a long way off. Russia's continued involvement in the war is undoubtedly due to multifaceted support from China. In other words, and oversimplifying a bit, China has the power to end the war by simply cutting off its aid to Russia. However, this will not happen, as both countries are united by a shared fear that their authoritarian systems will be overthrown by the West, particularly the US. No matter how ridiculous it may sound, this is how both Moscow and Beijing think. Trump’s capture of Maduro and the killing of Ayatollah Khamenei could be seen as examples that support this premise and deepen the alignment between China and Russia. An alliance based on fear that is seen as imminent is stronger than we realise. Therefore, the hope of detaching China from Russia, signalled by the US a few months ago, seems to have been extinguished once and for all, at least in Europe.

Time for a Different Approach

Since February 2022, the EU has taken a principled and sharp approach in talks with China regarding the war in Ukraine. With a particular focus on China’s support for Putin, the EU has urged Beijing to adhere to the UN Charter. However, this has not prompted China to alter its position. As European pressure on China has so far been ineffective, it is time to think outside the box – in ways that may initially seem provocative and unimaginable. Could Europe cooperate with China to weaken Russia, or at least prevent the strengthening of the China-Russia alliance? As driving a wedge between the two is impossible, Europe's priority should be to prevent this alignment from growing stronger, while also looking for ways to weaken it. From this perspective, Europe should try to identify issues that align with the interests of both the EU and China but are unfavourable for Russia. Bearing in mind that China provides significant material support to Russia and plays a negative role as a hard security enabler in Europe, this will not be easy. Nevertheless, there are at least three areas in which Europe could cooperate with China against Russia, or at the very least recognise that China's position is not as detrimental to Europe as it seems.

Click here for the full press release