Beijing’s refusal to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine “night to the image” of China, said European Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis on Monday. “There is (…) a reputational risk for China”he declared, speaking to students at Tsinghua University in Beijing, and this posture “harms the country’s image, not only vis-à-vis European consumers, but also businesses”.
“Territorial integrity has always been a key principle for China in international diplomacy”but “Russia’s war is a blatant violation of this principle”he stressed. “In addition, China has always advocated that each country be free to choose its own development path”he added.
“So it is very difficult for us to understand China’s position on Russia’s war against Ukraine, because it violates China’s basic principles.”