Diksia.com - Chinese President Xi Jinping has personally warned Vladimir Putin against using nuclear weapons in his war against Ukraine, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday (07/05/2023).
The message was delivered during Xi Jinping’s state visit to Moscow in March, Western and Chinese officials said.
The visit was one of Xi Jinping’s first trips outside of China after years of isolation as part of his zero-Covid policy.
A senior Chinese government adviser said that preventing Putin from using nuclear weapons is at the heart of China’s campaign to improve ties with Europe.
Russia’s massive invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has put Moscow and its ally Beijing at odds with much of the continent.
In its public statements, China has consistently spoken out against the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
But many Ukrainian supporters doubt China’s commitment given Xi Jinping’s boundless partnership with Putin and his peace plan.
Josep Borrell, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, said in March that Xi Jinping’s visit reduced the risk of nuclear war, and they (China) have made that very, very clear.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has not commented on the matter.
But a former government official confirmed Xi Jinping’s warning.
“If Russia uses nuclear weapons in Ukraine, everything will harm China,” an official said.
Russia’s aggression depends heavily on support from China, which is helping Russia navigate economic sanctions that lock it out of key global markets and supply chains.
Last year, China’s two-way trade with Russia hit a record $190 billion as Beijing increased its purchases of Russian energy and allowed it to import key technologies like microchips.
China has avoided criticizing Russia for its invasion, instead accusing the West of fueling the conflict by supplying arms to Ukraine.
But the war has jeopardized China’s efforts to drive a wedge between Europe and the US, according to a senior Chinese government adviser.
A Russian nuclear attack on Ukraine or one of its European allies would risk turning both continents against China, the adviser said.
Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at Renmin University in Beijing, said Russia has never and will never get China’s approval to use nuclear weapons.
“If Russia uses nuclear weapons against Ukraine, China will distance itself from Russia,” he added.
Xi Jinping’s warning shows that China still fears war, despite Putin’s assurances last October that a tactical nuclear attack was not an option, politically or militarily.
The statement comes amid growing fears in the West that Russia may use tactical nuclear weapons in response to the backlash in Ukraine.
The US, Britain and France, NATO’s three nuclear powers, have told the Kremlin they will attack its forces with conventional weapons if they use tactical nuclear weapons.
After the warning, Putin did not publicly mention tactical nuclear weapons for several months.
People close to the Kremlin said the Russian leadership had independently decided that tactical nuclear weapons would not give Russia an advantage after drawing up scenarios for the outcome of their deployment.
A nuclear attack would likely turn the territory Putin claims for Russia into a radioactive wasteland and would do little to advance his military, the people said.
Meanwhile, Ukraine expressed concern that Russia could instead cause an accident at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, which has been occupied by Russian forces since March 2022.
Putin mentioned nuclear weapons again last month as Ukraine’s counteroffensive began, saying Russia had sent tactical warheads to Belarus.
But Putin was quick to add that there was “no need” for it because the Russian army could stop the Ukrainian advance.
But the statement shows that even China may not be able to stop Putin completely, said Alexander Gabuev, director of Carnegie Russia’s Eurasia Center.
“Nuclear weapons are the most important guarantee that Putin will not lose this war,” he said.
