Ukrainian President Zelensky Rarely Criticizes the CCP During Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore
On June 2, during the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Ukrainian President Zelensky publicly criticized the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), a rare move for him. Zelensky stated, “We do not expect military support from China… but we also do not expect China to provide defense support to Russia.” He expressed regret that China, as a powerful independent country, has become a tool in Putin’s hands.
Since the outbreak of the war following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Zelensky has avoided openly criticizing the CCP, hoping that China would use its friendly relations with Russia to help stop the invasion.
However, things did not go as expected. Throughout the two-plus years of the Ukrainian people suffering from the disastrous consequences of Russian aggression, the CCP has been assisting Russia.
Zelensky’s rare public criticism of the CCP may have stemmed from several main factors:
At the request of the Ukrainian government, Switzerland will host the inaugural Ukraine Peace Summit on June 15-16. According to Reuters, as of June 3, 107 out of 160 invited countries and organizations have confirmed their attendance.
The summit will be based on Zelensky’s ten-point peace plan, prioritizing three key themes: food security, nuclear security, and the release of all imprisoned and displaced individuals. The ten-point peace plan also includes restoring Ukraine’s territorial integrity and a complete withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine.
Russia has not been invited to participate in the summit.
Previously, Russia has stated that the basis for Ukraine-Russia dialogue is that Ukraine must recognize the “new reality” created on the ground by Russia. According to Reuters on May 24, citing four Russian sources, “Putin is ready to stop the war in Ukraine through negotiation by recognizing the current front line. If Kiev and the West do not respond, Putin will continue to fight.” In short, Ukraine must recognize the gains of Russia’s invasion.
On May 31, the CCP announced that it would not participate in the Ukraine Peace Summit.
President Zelensky of Ukraine, while in Singapore, criticized the CCP for helping Russia undermine the peace talks in Ukraine by pressuring other world leaders not to participate. He stated, “This is not just support for Russia; this is essentially support for the war.”
On May 29, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Campbell, during a visit to Brussels, told the media, “What we see from China’s assistance to Russia is not a one-time event. This is an ongoing, comprehensive effort, supported by China’s leadership, aimed at providing all the behind-the-scenes support to Russia, enabling them to rebuild their military capabilities, long-range missiles, drones, some battlefield tracking capabilities, long-range artillery, and more.”
In late April, during U.S. Secretary of State Blinken’s visit to China, he bluntly told Chinese officials, “China is the most important supplier to (Russia) of machine tools, microelectronics, crucial nitrocellulose for making ammunition and rocket propellants, and other dual-use military products.” “Moscow is using these products to strengthen its defense industry base, which is producing massive amounts of rockets, drones, tanks, and other weapons. President Putin is using these weapons to invade a sovereign country, destroy its grid and other civil infrastructure, and kill innocent women and children. Without China’s support, Russia would have difficulty maintaining its offensive against Ukraine.”
Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, Sino-Russian trade volumes have surged rapidly. In 2022, Sino-Russian trade volume grew by 29.3%, reaching a record $190.2 billion. In 2023, the Sino-Russian trade volume broke historical records, reaching $240.1 billion, surpassing and exceeding the targets set by the leaders of both countries.
The CCP vocally declares respect for national sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security. However, regarding Russia’s annexation of the four eastern Ukrainian regions – Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson – the CCP has not condemned it.
The annexed regions account for 15% of Ukraine’s territory, making it the largest territorial annexation in Europe since World War II, surpassing the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea. The annexation has established a land connection between mainland Russia and Crimea.
Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, most countries worldwide, including the United Nations, have stood by Ukraine, condemning Russia’s invasion. However, the CCP has never condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
On March 3, 2022, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution titled “Aggression against Ukraine” at its 11th Emergency Special Session, strongly condemning Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and demanding Russia immediately cease the use of force against Ukraine and withdraw its troops. The resolution received 141 votes in favor, while the CCP abstained from voting.
During the Soviet era, Ukraine was a significant military and defense research base, home to many outstanding aerospace enterprises and research institutions.
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, facing pressure from the U.S. and Russia, Ukraine sold many important military equipment, technologies, and finished products inherited from the former Soviet Union to the CCP, leading to the rapid development of China’s defense capabilities.
The most important military equipment transferred from Ukraine to the CCP was the “Varyag” aircraft carrier. After refurbishment, this carrier became the CCP’s first aircraft carrier – the Liaoning. Ukraine not only transferred the carrier itself to the CCP but also provided complete design blueprints, laying the foundation for China to independently develop aircraft carriers.
Ukraine also transferred numerous critical military technologies to the CCP in fields such as ships, aviation, tanks, and more. In terms of aviation equipment, Ukraine transferred technologies such as turbofan engines to China; Ukraine sold the Su-33 prototype T-10K-3 to China, which was transformed into China’s first carrier-based aircraft; Ukraine exported a large quantity of combat equipment to China, such as R-27 air-to-air missiles, Il-78 aerial refueling aircraft, etc. In the naval equipment field, Ukraine transferred ship gas turbine technologies to China; Ukraine sold a large fleet tanker to China, which was transformed into China’s largest replenishment ship – the Qinghai Lake. Ukraine also exported four “Bison”-class large landing craft to China.
China’s largest polar icebreaker and scientific research vessel were converted from the imported Vaygach-class icebreaker from Ukraine.
While transferring technology to China, Ukraine also sent a large number of experts to China, significantly advancing the research and development of related equipment. These experts included Barbich, designer of the Varyag aircraft carrier; Valerie, designer of the T80 main battle tank and world-renowned welding master; Antonov, designer of the largest military transport plane, among others.
However, when Ukraine faced Russian aggression, the CCP not only failed to support Ukraine but also actively and continuously provided substantial aid to Russia’s war machine.
During the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Ukraine was second only to the U.S. and Russia in nuclear weapons, possessing the “world’s third-largest” nuclear arsenal. Under pressure from the U.S. and Russia, Ukraine chose to relinquish its nuclear weapons and became a non-nuclear state.
In December 2013, the CCP and Ukraine issued a joint statement: the CCP pledged to provide nuclear security guarantees to Ukraine. The statement affirmed that in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 984 and the CCP government’s statement of December 4, 1994, to provide security guarantees to Ukraine, the CCP unconditionally pledges not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine, a non-nuclear-weapon state. The CCP also promises to provide corresponding security guarantees to Ukraine in the event of nuclear aggression or threats of such aggression against Ukraine.
Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, Russia has repeatedly issued nuclear threats. For instance, on May 21, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that Russian troops conducted the first stage of a tactical nuclear weapons exercise along the Russia-Ukraine border area to ensure that Russian forces are prepared for “using non-strategic nuclear weapons in combat.”
A video released by the Russian Ministry of Defense showed trucks transporting missiles to deploy launch systems already in place, with Russian troops at the airfield preparing to install nuclear warheads on a bomber.
The exercise reportedly included practices of transporting rockets, driving to designated launch sites, and loading Iskander and “Dagger” missiles onto aircraft.
So far, the CCP has not rejected Russia’s nuclear threats!
Historically, Russia is the country that has annexed the most Chinese territory, while Ukraine has not occupied an inch of Chinese territory; Ukraine has significantly aided the development of China’s defense industry, while Russia has constantly posed defenses against key defense technologies in the defense industry. In modern times, the Chinese people have suffered from invasions, including from the Russian Empire (Soviet Union), so it is only natural to empathize with the Ukrainian people suffering from Russian invasion.
However, since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, the CCP has diverged from the majority of UN member countries on the issue of aggression and anti-aggression, actually aligning itself with the aggressor. The immense suffering of Ukrainian women, children, and the elderly in the fires of war, along with the destruction of Ukrainian homes, hospitals, schools, power grids, and other civilian infrastructure, seems to go unnoticed.
Morally and materially, the CCP’s contrasting attitudes toward Russia and Ukraine are disillusioning to the Ukrainian government, military, and people.
For over two years, President Zelensky has waited without hearing any tangible help from the CCP for the Ukrainian people.
Now, Zelensky has seen through the CCP’s clumsy performance and no longer holds any hope for the CCP, which is why he spoke his mind without reservation in Singapore.