Last week, the Ukrainian government revealed the identities of two Chinese prisoners of war and held a press conference for them to personally explain the process of joining the Russian army. Despite CNN’s belief that showcasing prisoners of war in front of journalists and cameras almost certainly violates international humanitarian law, Ukraine apparently believes that displaying the Chinese prisoners of war carries greater significance.
The Chinese Communist Party has always claimed to remain neutral in the Russia-Ukraine war. However, as a crucial diplomatic and economic lifeline for Moscow, China’s every move is closely watched by Ukraine and the international community.
Both prisoners of war strongly emphasized that they acted as individuals and pointed out that their inspiration came from the sophisticated recruitment videos on the short video platform TikTok. One of the prisoners of war mentioned that these videos resonated within Chinese society because military prowess is highly esteemed but opportunities for civilians to participate in combat and gain real combat experience are extremely rare.
While Ukraine has previously held press conferences for prisoners of war, including those from Nepal and several African countries, having Chinese prisoners of war appear in front of the cameras is still an unusual move.
CNN considers the timing crucial.
Currently, Ukraine is actively seeking the attention and support of US President Trump. As the Trump administration views the Chinese Communist Party as the primary adversary of the United States and continues to impose increasingly high import tariffs on China.
From Zelensky’s perspective, anything that can imply Chinese support for Russia is worth magnifying in terms of diplomacy and economy. However, the message conveyed by Zelensky’s actions may not only be directed at the United States.
Due to pressure from Trump’s tariff war, China is actively courting Europe. Ukraine is also concerned about the recent goodwill gestures towards China from the European Union. Once it is confirmed that China is directly involved in Russia’s aggressive war, the EU will not be able to compromise with China.
(Newspaper News Production Team)