Beijing's stance on Ukraine to remain largely unchanged – political scientist Vitaly Kulyk

These insights were shared by Kulyk in an interview on Espreso.

He mentioned that China and the US couldn't agree on the final declaration at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).

"There's a separate point about Ukraine, and China didn't back the resolution condemning aggression and demanding Russia to end the war. Xi tries to maintain distance and resist US pressure, but Ukraine isn't the top priority in their relations," the political scientist explained.

He highlighted that the situations in the Korean Peninsula and the Middle East took precedence.

China had previously suggested a plan to resolve Russia's conflict in Ukraine, and Xi will persist with this proposal. While open to dialogue with US representatives, China isn't fully receptive to US proposals and demands.

"There won't be significant changes in Beijing's stance on this issue. However, there are some small 'gestures of goodwill.' For instance, South Korean monitoring centers report a near-zero decrease in goods traffic on the North Korea-Russia border," emphasized Kulyk.

Previously used for transporting weapons, this activity has now halted. "It coincides with San Francisco's request, and beyond Beijing's goodwill, it's hard to define because it's certainly not the goodwill of the DPRK."

Kulyk clarified that Russia's statements about Xi yielding to Biden suggest their concern about China's physical pressure on Russia. They mention the potential cancellation of critical supplies for Russian military enterprises, indicating China's increasing leverage over Russia.

"Regrettably, China has an interest in a low-intensity conflict in Ukraine. This prolonged conflict aligns Russia with China, weakens the West, and fosters a more amenable stance for negotiations. In this scenario, we find ourselves as hostages. I don't see the U.S. having the means to pressure China to halt the war in the near future," he concluded.

• On November 14, Xi Jinping visited the United States for the first time in six years.
• On Wednesday, November 15, US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in California during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.