IntroductionHow will China respond to a potential Russian military escalation against Ukraine? China accepted a narrative that placed blame on the West for causing the crisis, with top diplomats citing Western “foreign interference for causing the crisis,” but didn’t approve of Russia’s seizure of Crimea or its military actions in the Donbas. [3] China abstained from voting on the key United Nations resolutions regarding Crimea, for example, and it still declines to recognize Crimea as Russian territory. Compared to 2014, however, China may find it more difficult to avoid involvement in an escalating crisis. China is most likely to be implicated in the crisis by potential Western sanctions on Russia, which in contrast to 2014 will impose substantially more pressure on Beijing to take sides.

Source: New York Times January 21, 2022 18:42 UTC