Ukrainian Foreign Minister in Beijing

RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS - In Brief 23 Jul 2024 by Alex Teddy

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On July 23 Dymtro Kuleba held talks with Chinese officials. He will spend three days in China, which is a measure of how much importance Ukraine attaches to this diplomatic effort. Ukraine recently said that China could play a vital role in ending the conflict. It is hard to see what Kyiv can offer China to convince the Chinese to use their influence with Russia to end the war. Ukraine often stresses territorial integrity when discussing the war with China. It likens Crimea to Taiwan: in both cases these territories have been lost by the nation whose sovereign territory it is. Before 2022 China did significant trade with Ukraine. That has since fallen to almost nil.  China is neutral on the war. However, the United States has often accused China of selling dual-use items to Russia knowing they will be used for a military application. Russia has often underscored that its relationship with China is now more cooperative than ever. China has been Russia's main trade partner for over 10 years. Since 2022 and strict sanctions on Russia by the US and EU, Russian exports to China have increased in both relative and absolute terms. Russia is selling cut price oil and gas to China. China needs this more than ever as its economy is slowing. Some thought that the Ukraine War would hurt China economically due to increased energy and food prices. Those price hikes in 2022 were short lived and China seems to have benefitted from the war.