Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, some states outside the West have refused to sanction Russia. Among them are China, Kenya and Mexico, all three of which are close trading partners with Russia.
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In China, “there is no question of sanctioning Russia”
China appeared quite embarrassed about the Ukrainian file. Beijing is in a rather complicated balance, rather at odds with Moscow on military intervention. But China did not condemn it outright. On the other hand, on the question of sanctions against Russia. The position is clear: Russia is a friendly country, a partner, and there is no question of sanctioning it. “We have said this on several occasions sanctions are not an effective solution to solve problems”hammers Wang Wenbin one of the spokespersons of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “China’s consistent position is to oppose all unlawful unilateral sanctions. China and Russia will therefore continue to carry out normal business cooperation in the spirit of mutual respect and benefit.”.
Economic exchanges between Moscow and Beijing will therefore not stop, particularly in the field of hydrocarbons. Russian planes can continue to fly over Chinese territory and land at airports. In the other countries of South-East Asia the reactions are very timid, we hear very little about condemning the Russian military initiative and almost no sanctions. We sense the countries of Southeast Asia wanting not to offend Moscow for economic and also political reasons.
The latest statement from ASEAN, the association that brings together the nations of Southeast Asia, is content to call for the continuation of dialogue. Only one ASEAN member country made an exception by announcing sanctions against Russia. This is Singapore, yet known for its caution and neutrality on major international issues. Position therefore, this time unprecedented and quite historic. Singapore, which is a central place for trade in Asia, will block certain banking transactions and exports to Russia.
Kenya too dependent on Russia
If Nairobi does not sanction Russia unlike the West, it is simply because Kenya cannot afford it. Russia is a major market for Kenyan tea, flowers, coffee and fruits. Conversely, Kenya relies heavily on Russian wheat as well as Russian pesticides for its agriculture. Trade between the two countries reached 400 million dollars in 2020. It is difficult for Kenya to give up, already very affected by the economic crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Kenyan debt is approaching 80% of the country’s GDP. And it will get worse because of this war in Ukraine.
Kenya is already bearing the brunt of the effects of the West’s economic sanctions against Russia. For example, there is this decision by container companies to suspend freight to and from Russia which freezes Kenyan exports. The exclusion of Russian banks from the Swift system also makes financial trading riskier and more expensive. All this combined with the explosion in oil prices, Kenyan consumers will suffer even more from rising commodity prices.
On the diplomatic level on Wednesday March 2, Kenya voted in favor of the UN resolution demanding the withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine, unlike 16 other African countries which abstained. It must be said that Kenya is a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. A strategic seat for Nairobi, particularly in its maritime conflict which opposes it to Somalia. Now is not the time to alienate the international community.
“Unwelcome” economic reprisals for Mexico
The Mexican government has come out against the war waged by Russia in Ukraine, it has voted in favor of the UN resolution condemning the Russian invasion. But unlike other countries that have taken this position, Mexico rejects the possibility of imposing sanctions of any kind on Russia. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador says that any economic retaliation against Russia would be unwelcome, because Mexico intends to maintain good relations with all the governments of the world, and preserve the possibility of dialogue with the parties in conflict. He considers that it is not Mexico’s responsibility to impose sanctions, that this would amount to assuming a form of protagonism in a war that is not its own and that it is more important to concentrate on promoting dialogue to end hostilities. That said, López Obrador condemned any “a form of invasion, especially by a world power”he said.
The Mexican president also spoke out against social media warnings to Russian media. He accused Twitter of censoring Russian media. He believes that it is very serious to publish warnings on the tweets of the media and Internet users who display pro-Russian positions. López Obrador claims that this amounts to “file” Internet users. He had already expressed a similar position by deeming Twitter’s censorship of his former American counterpart Donald Trump unacceptable. Still on Twitter, on Sunday evening several Internet users reported that monuments and public buildings in Mexico City were illuminated in the colors of Russia, in reality it was a gesture of friendship towards the Dominican Republic which commemorated on February 27 its independence, and whose colors of the flag coincide with those of the Russian flag.