Le Vrai du faux junior is the meeting to verify and decipher information with middle and high school students. Again this week, they have many questions about the war in Ukraine, and in particular about the role that China is playing in this conflict. Eric Biegala, senior reporter for the international editorial staff of Radio France, answers them.
“How did China enter the conflict?“Asks Maxim.”Is China helping Russia financially in this war?“adds Colas.
“About financial aidanswers Eric Biegala, it’s hard to say because financial movements are necessarily very discreet. You are not unaware that there has been a shower of sanctions that has hit Russia since its invasion of Ukraine. Russia has apparently asked for help from China, in particular to circumvent, that is to say to get through these sanctions and in particular probably ways of making international regulations, that is- ie to buy or sell products without using the dollar, without using the euro, perhaps using the yen. It’s possible. We have absolutely no proof..”
The journalist adds that China is uncomfortable with Russia, both ready to support it in its operation, but at the same time, very straddling the maintenance of international borders.
China has neither condemned nor supported the Russian invasion of Ukraine. She abstained during the vote on a UN resolution on the subject at the start of the conflict. At the same time, she is a strong partner of Russia. China, for example, opposed the exclusion of Russians from the next G20 summit, the gathering of the 20 most developed countries in the world.
The United States and NATO are also closely monitoring the fact that Chinese support does not take the form of arms deliveries. The Deputy Secretary General of NATO, Mircea Geoană, indicated Thursday, March 24 on franceinfo not to “have a clue in the direction” China’s arms supply to Russia.
“Is it true that China is pressuring Europe to force it not to go to war to help Ukraine?” asks Lucas by the way
“Chinareplies Eric Biegala, has somewhat ambiguous relations with Europe, because Europe is also China’s client. So in Europe, we buy a lot of things made in China or made with Chinese materials. And the pressures that China can exert on Europe are not that important and in particular, they do not have sufficient weight to decide on the defense policies of European countries and Europe in general..
Europe, he adds, was quite divided as far as defense policies were concerned and this war in Ukraine has made it possible to unite everyone a little. “It’s a first, so no, there isn’t really any Chinese pressure being exerted on Europe. In any case, to try to curb the European ardor in defense of Ukraine, European ardor which is not military” but rather pass at this stage by the reception of millions of refugees.
The pressures can also go in the opposite direction, from the West on China. NATO has thus called on China not to support Russia in this war in Ukraine. The Secretary General of NATO also accused China of relaying false information disseminated by Russia on the war in Ukraine. China responded that accusing him of spreading false information was in itself disinformation.
“Is it true that Ukraine once attacked Donbass?” asks Cleo.
“No it is wrong“, replies Eric Biegala. “It was rather the Donbass that attacked Ukraine, or rather the Russians and those who were called pro-Russians who rose in arms and tried to secure a small territory in these two regions. of Ukraine which are the Luhansk region and the Donetsk region. They partially succeeded. They militarily controlled a third of these two regions. They established there what they called independent republics, which had nothing to do with republics, which were authoritarian regimes and which were armed and controlled by Moscow. The first Prime Ministers of these republics were moreover Russian citizens normally residing in Moscow and who had nothing to do, who had never lived in the Donbass. So it was rather the Russians who attacked Ukraine in the Donbass and who took part of the territory with losses and noise. It is a war that had lasted for 7 or 8 years and which had already made about 14,000 victims”.