China not an ‘impartial’ actor in Ukraine conflict, White House says

The Biden administration has stated that it doesn’t view China as an “impartial” mediator in the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia because Beijing has repeatedly positioned itself as a neutral party while pushing Russia’s side of the story. Despite proposing a peace plan for the region, China’s approach has been criticized as one-sided and beneficial to Russia.

John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator, pointed out that China has continued to buy oil and energy from Russia and hasn’t condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Consequently, it wouldn’t be fair to consider China as an impartial actor.

Last month, China proposed a 12-point peace plan, which contained conditions that would grant Russia an advantage over Ukraine, leading to its dismissal by the West. Kirby stated that a ceasefire, which the Chinese plan recommended, would allow Russia enough time to reorganize and redeploy its troops for another attack.

Aside from undermining peace negotiations, China’s growing relationship with Russia has become a major concern for the United States. Concerns that China may provide lethal aid to Russia for the war in Ukraine have been raised, and officials warn that the two countries become increasingly closer due to their opposition to U.S. leadership around the world.

In contrast, the U.S. is working to rebuild its alliances and partnerships around the world to counter China and Russia’s partnership and to advance its foreign policy objectives.