Russia-Ukraine War: Why China Chose Interests Over Values by Cheng Yawen

"Individuals may 'sacrifice their lives for righteousness', but a nation cannot afford to do so. A nation that cannot even guarantee its own survival has no place to bluster about morality."

Today’s commentary by Cheng Yawen, explaining China’s stance towards Russia since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, is an important one. In my view, it stands among the most insightful pieces to have been written on this topic by a Chinese analyst within the PRC since Russia’s invasion. Grateful to James for his excellent parsing and translation of this text. — Thomas

Readers may be familiar with the ongoing debate among Chinese intellectuals regarding their country’s stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Following the recent seismic jolts in US support for Ukraine, Cheng Yawen (程亚文) provides a necessary update. As with Zhao Huasheng (赵华胜), Cheng comes down on the side of “interests” over “values”, arguing that China’s strategic instinct has been vindicated. Cheng’s views—which are grounded in an analysis of Chinese history—are based on the idea that although upholding the sovereignty of small nations is a noble principle, doing so ultimately depends on painful compromise with grea…