China offers Ukraine aid, Washington pushes arms

Beijing calls for diplomatic solutions while US is obsessed with sanctions

The Russia-Ukraine conflict witnesses these phenomena: China is sending humanitarian aid to Ukrainians while the United States is delivering weaponry to Kyiv, and China is promoting dialogue to end the crisis and ease its global impact while the US is keen to escalate sanctions that could disrupt global economic recovery.

Worse, China’s humanitarian assistance is largely ignored by the Western media, which focus on repeated disinformation, fanned persistently by US officials, on alleged “military aid” to Russia.

Try Googling “China aid to Ukraine” and the results will not show much until about page five. The previous four pages are mostly about socalled China’s aid to Russia, which does not exist.

In the sample Google search, we can see 35 Western media reports on purported warnings to China against providing aid to Russia. All had the same source — the US Administration, from the White House to the Pentagon. Only five — including France24 (TV), Interfax-Ukraine and RepublicWorld.com (India) — reported the aid package to Ukraine.

The exercise is a classic example of Western bias, if not enmity, against China.

Throughout the Russia Ukraine conflict, China has always maintained a state of neutrality citing its close friendship, trade, and economic ties with both countries.

Even during the near twohour video conference with US President Joe Biden last week, President Xi Jinping said the top priorities now were to continue dialogue and negotiations, avoid civilian casualties, prevent a humanitarian crisis, cease fighting and end the war as soon as possible.

Xi had urged Washington to hold talks between the US, NATO and Russia on what he described as the “crux” of the Ukraine conflict: the security concerns of both Moscow and Kyiv.

Yet, Washington seems obsessed with sanctions and warnings that China would “face the consequences”. A US State Department spokesperson threatened even more worthless sanctions if China even looked in the direction of Russia.

No doubt what Ukrainians need most are supply of livelihood necessities, a ceasefire and end to the military operations. As shelling continued in some key areas in Ukraine, daily necessities have become scarce. People are starving in the snow and are lacking basic necessities, while the injured need medical care.

China has insisted on and worked for diplomatic solutions to the crisis, apart from offering humanitarian aid.

Shortly after President Xi discussed solution options with his French and German counterparts, the first shipments of aid to Ukraine’s 44 million people were sent.

The batch, consisting of supplies of milk powder for children, blankets and quilts to protect people from the snowy winds, arrived via Bucharest airport on March 12. Rapid subsequent convoys carrying towels, damp-proof mats, buckets and torches made their way to Lviv and Chernivtsi in Ukraine’s west.

And at the request of the Ukrainian side, the Red Cross Society of China is providing more humanitarian aid, including food and daily necessities.

In the meantime, the US has managed to sell and fly into Ukraine a large range of basic and sophisticated killing machines, worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Such US arms sales cause people to be suspicious as to why Washington has taken a series of moves that not only made the conflict on European soil explode but also get escalated and prolonged.

The US-led Western media disappoint readers with disinformation or coldness about voices and actions of non-NATO countries during the crisis, while launching volleys of criticisms of nations that are not ready to toe the US line.

China has consistently maintained its anti-war policy. It is not a warmongering and war-profiteering country, in stark contrast to a superpower which highlights its military muscle across the world, especially in squeezing the breathing space for Russia’s security for so long.

China’s tri-partnership with Russia and Ukraine has been longstanding and built on trust, and it will logically continue. China has been Russia’s largest trade partner for 12 consecutive years.

Also, it was the largest importer from Ukraine last year, taking in goods worth $8 billion, up 12.7 percent year-on-year. And China was also the largest exporter for Ukraine, which imported Chinese goods worth $10.97 billion, an increase of 31.9 percent year-on-year, according to data from the State Statistics Service of Ukraine.

Notwithstanding the Western media narrative against China, the fact is that Ukrainians will suffer more with influx of new or secondhand US weaponry, while they will be better off with assistance and solution proposals from China and other like-minded nations. Regardless of the White House claims, time will prove what kind of solutions work for better co-existence of Ukraine, Russia and the rest of Europe.

China’s with Russia tri-partnership and Ukraine has been long-standing and built on trust, and it will logically continue.