China approves Russian wheat imports as West raises sanctions
| Beijing
China called Thursday for talks to resolve the Ukraine crisis and avoided criticizing President Vladimir Putin鈥檚 attack while, in a step that could blunt the impact of Western sanctions, Beijing also approved imports of Russian wheat.
Chinese ties with Russia have grown stronger under President Xi Jinping, who met President Vladimir Putin this month in Beijing. China鈥檚 multibillion-dollar purchases of Russian gas for its energy-hungry economy have been a lifeline to Mr. Putin, who already was under Western sanctions over its 2014 seizure of Crimea from Ukraine.
China is the only major government to refrain from condemning Mr. Putin鈥檚 attack. But it tempered that by calling for restraint and respect for national sovereignty.
鈥淲e still hope that the parties concerned will not shut the door to peace and engage instead in dialogue and consultation and prevent the situation from further escalating,鈥� said a foreign ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying.
Meanwhile, China鈥檚 Embassy in Ukraine told its citizens there to stay home and to place a Chinese flag inside or on their vehicle if they needed to travel.
Mr. Xi鈥檚 government echoes Russian frustration with what they say is unfair American dominance of global affairs and Moscow鈥檚 rejection of the eastward expansion of NATO, the U.S.-European military alliance.
Beijing has blamed Washington and its European allies for the conflict over Ukraine.
鈥淎ll parties should work for peace instead of escalating the tension or hyping up the possibility of war,鈥� Ms. Hua said. 鈥淭hose parties who were busy condemning others, what have they done? Have they persuaded others?鈥�
After their Beijing meeting, Mr. Xi and Mr. Putin issued a statement endorsing key foreign policy issues for both sides 鈥� Moscow鈥檚 opposition to a NATO expansion in former Soviet republics and China鈥檚 claim to the self-ruled island of Taiwan.
Moscow鈥檚 attack has thrust Beijing into a conflict between its partnership with Mr. Putin and its sensitivity about respect for national borders due to its anxiety about holding onto restive areas such as Tibet and Xinjiang.
Li Xin, director of the Institute of European and Asian Studies at Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, said the West forced Russia to take action with NATO鈥檚 expansion and the deployment of a missile defense system.
鈥淥n the one hand, we respect territorial integrity and the sovereignty of Ukraine, but on the other hand, we must consider the historical process of the situation where Russia has been pushed into a corner and forced to counterattack,鈥� Dr.听Li said.
China hasn鈥檛 endorsed Mr. Putin鈥檚 recognition of independence of eastern Ukraine鈥檚 separatist areas or his decision to send in soldiers, but Ms. Hua said Beijing 鈥渃alled on parties to respect others鈥� legitimate security concerns.鈥�
Ms. Hua did not describe Russia鈥檚 actions as an invasion or directly refer to the movement of Russian forces into Ukraine.
At a conference in Germany last weekend, Foreign Minister Wang Yi accused the United States of 鈥渟tirring up antagonism.鈥� However, Mr. Wang said the 鈥渟overeignty, independence, and territorial integrity of any country should be respected.鈥� He added, 鈥淯kraine is no exception.鈥�
Western trade and financial sanctions on Russia would strengthen Beijing in their relationship by increasing China鈥檚 importance as an export market and source of investment.
On Thursday, China鈥檚 customs agency approved imports of wheat from all regions of Russia, giving Mr. Putin an alternative to Western markets that might be closed under possible sanctions.
Russia is one of the world鈥檚 biggest wheat producers but has been shut out of China until now due to concern about possible fungus and other contamination.
The two governments announced an agreement Feb. 8 for China to import Russian wheat and barley after Mr. Putin became the highest-profile foreign guest to attend the Beijing Winter Olympics.
Thursday鈥檚 announcement said Russia would 鈥渢ake all measures鈥� to prevent contamination by wheat smut fungus and would suspend exports to China if it was found.
Russia has spent much of the past decade trying to expand gas exports and other trade with China and East Asian markets to offset the impact of Crimea-related sanctions.
Last month, state-owned Gazprom signed a 30-year contract to supply natural gas to China鈥檚 northeast from the Russian Far East. The two sides agreed payment would be in euros to reduce their use of U.S. dollars, the common currency in natural resource markets.
Earlier, the two governments signed another gas supply contract in 2014 after more than a decade of negotiations. Industry analysts said Russia gave in to Chinese pressure for favorable terms due to Moscow鈥檚 need for export revenue after the Crimea sanctions.
This story was reported by The Associated Press.
