New Delhi: The image of China as a mediator and peacemaker is gaining strength as governments and organisations from West Asia to Eastern Europe seek Beijing’s assistance in solving conflicts raging at home.
Wartorn Ukraine was the latest to reach out to the Chinese government, with Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba arriving in Guangzhou Wednesday for a bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi. He will depart the country Friday.
“I am convinced that a just peace in Ukraine is in China’s strategic interests, and China’s role as a global force for peace is important,” said Kuleba during his meeting with Wang, according to a statement published by the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ukraine has reached out to Beijing for its help in ending the nearly three-year-old Russia-Ukraine war, despite China’s “no limits” partnership with Moscow.
Kuleba’s visit came a day after 14 factions in Palestine, including Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, and, Fatah, which forms the government in the West Bank, agreed to reconcile and form a unity government to govern Gaza after the end of the conflict with Israel in an agreement brokered by Beijing.
On Tuesday, Beijing announced a “three-step” process for peace in Palestine, which envisions a path from a ceasefire in Gaza to a full-membership of the United Nations for Palestine as a country. Earlier in May, it had also published, along with Brazil, a “six-point” alternative peace plan for the Russia-Ukraine war, weeks before a Global Peace Summit hosted by Switzerland.
In March 2023, China acted as a mediator between Saudi Arabia and Iran, helping the two West Asian powers to resume ties that had been frozen since 2016. Riyadh and Tehran were on opposite sides in both the Syrian and Yemeni civil wars.
Jabin Thomas Jacob, an associate professor at the department of international relations and governance studies at the Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence, told ThePrint that it was a win-win situation for China.
“China is not affected by the real outcome in the peace processes, especially in the Russia-Ukraine war. However, for optics, if Beijing’s proposal succeeds, it’s a win for them, if they fail, there is no criticism for they at least tried,” he said
Jacob added: “It is not mediation to achieve a genuine outcome. It is about what they [China] are getting out of it. They are not interested in a lasting outcome, especially if it weakens Russia. Beijing has not criticised Russia yet for its aggression and is always talking about Moscow’s point of view. In a way, this requires Ukraine to accept the reasons for Russian aggression.”
Experts speaking to ThePrint linked China’s interest in a role as a mediator to its desire to change its image as a provocateur and to offer an alternate strategic gravity point to the US-led global order.
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‘Chinese efforts a signal to global powers’
While terms such as “common ground” or “peaceful neighbour” are frequently found in ancient Chinese texts, “mediation” is not a part of common “strategic thinking,” according to Aravind Yelery, an associate professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).
Jacob said: “The Chinese have been smooth in creating the optics of a peacemaker. The use of a triangular table, for example, makes it seem like all are equal at the negotiation table. The question is on the substance or the outcomes of such negotiations.”
Yelery said the sudden spate of peace-making talks and discussions is a signal to global powers that China “can bring all parties to the negotiating table” regardless of whether Beijing truly believes in an honest or lasting agreement.
Brokering the détente between Riyadh and Tehran was one of its most successful foreign policy victories in West Asia. But, even in this situation, the experts noted that a large part of the legwork for the agreement was conducted by Oman before China swooped in to push the final agreement towards the finishing line.
“For China, Saudi Arabia and Iran are important partners because they are non-democratic countries and their ties would point to democracy not working in Asia. There is also a certain degree of nationalism on the rise in Saudi Arabia that is anti-American. Beijing is very happy to encourage and promote this nationalism,” said Jacob.
The sharpening ideological divide between the US, the European Union and China in recent years has also contributed to Beijing’s growing efforts in projecting itself as a real alternative to the western-led global order.
Countries seeking China’s help in resolving countries are those who are “disoriented” by the “asymmetries” created by the West and the US, such as the Palestinian factions, Yelery explained.
“These are the powers and organisations sidelined by the US. They are not middle powers. They are struggling to achieve their economic and security potential, and China is seen as the only country offering them a chance to rebuild their economies.”
Yelery added: “China has created a gravity point and everyone is attracted to it. The specific selling point Beijing offers is that it can give you funds and listen to your concerns without any conditions. It is shaping a narrative of a changing global order to emphasise this.”
There is an added dimension where the US looks like a warmonger, and China can promote itself as a better option to it as a global peacemaker, explained Sriparna Pathak, an associate professor of China studies at the O.P. Jindal Global University.
“It selectively chooses to step into conflicts where the US already looks bad. It also intervenes cleverly, when it believes the conflict is nearing its end. Maybe Beijing believes both the Israel-Gaza conflict and the Russia-Ukraine war are nearing the end,” Pathak told ThePrint.
Pathak added that while at a bilateral level, it would make sense for Beijing to support Israel in its conflict in Gaza, given Tel Aviv’s economy and high-technology sectors, it has criticised the country and supported Palestine at international platforms like the United Nations. For instance, she said, earlier this year Beijing called the war in Gaza a “disgrace to civilisation” and called for an immediate ceasefire.
“It is a signal to the Arab world that China is engaged with the issues of the region. By trying to keep Hamas and the factions of the Palestinian movement alive, it may be able to turn the tide in West Asia towards an anti-American stance,” explained Jacob.
Pathak echoed similar views, adding that Beijing’s “support towards Palestine” is a signal towards ensuring that the Arab countries see China more favourably — especially those in which it has “economic interests.”
A non-democratic, economic approach
Experts agree that a part of China’s interest in supporting countries such as Iran also lies in the fact that Tehran stands up against the US. It aids China’s ideological approach to the changing global order.
“Tomorrow you would not be surprised if Armenia, Türkiye and Azerbaijan meet in Beijing to iron out issues. China has economic interests in those countries,” said Yelery.
The non-democratic, economic approach of China as a peacemaker is best seen in its policy in Afghanistan.
“The Chinese were encouraging Afghanistan’s government to negotiate with the Taliban before it fell. For Beijing, the Taliban with an anti-American character is good for them. You do not see the country applying pressure on the Taliban to get women back to school, for example. It is ideological for them,” said Jacob.
A delegation from the Taliban rubbed shoulders with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing at the third Belt and Road Forum (BRF) for International Cooperation in October 2023.
While Beijing does not recognise the Taliban-led Afghan government, that has not stopped the country from improving its ties with the country. In July 2021, a delegation from the Taliban met foreign minister Wang. Beijing also appointed a new ambassador to Afghanistan in September 2023.
(Edited by Sanya Mathur)
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