While addressing the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Tuesday, China refused to condemn Russia’s violence in Bucha and instead called on the Council to verify facts before resorting to “unfounded conclusions.”
In response to the images being shown from Bucha, Ukraine, Zhang Jun, China’s Permanent Representative to the UN, acknowledged that civilians should be spared from any forms of violence in armed conflicts. “Attacks against civilians are unacceptable and should not occur. The reports and images of civilian deaths in Bucha are deeply disturbing,” he acknowledged.
China's UN envoy refused to condemn Russia for the Bucha Massacre. Chinese commentators are backing Russia's narrative that Bucha was "staged"
— Samuel Ramani (@SamRamani2) April 5, 2022
Despite the overtures of the EU and Ukraine, China stands firmly with Russia.
However, Zhang then said that “the relevant circumstances and specific causes of the incident should be verified and established,” arguing that “any accusations should be based on facts.” “Before the full picture is clear, all sides should exercise restraint and avoid unfounded accusations,” he stressed.
He also criticised the West’s implementation of sanctions on Russia, saying they are “not an effective means to solve the problem” and will only “accelerate the spillover of the crisis, and bring new and complex problems.” “The implementation of all-dimensional and indiscriminate sanctions is tantamount to politicising, instrumentalising and weaponising the world economy, triggering a serious crisis in the fields of global economy and trade, finance, energy, food, industrial chain, and supply chain,” he underscored.
Zhang called on both countries to “abide by international humanitarian law, protect the safety of civilians and civilian facilities, minimize civilian casualties, ensure safe and smooth humanitarian corridors for evacuees and humanitarian assistance, and guarantee the basic rights of women, children, and wounded and detained fighters.” However, he stressed that “humanitarian issues should not be politicised.”
In this respect, he hit back at criticism of China's refusal to condemn Russia, asserting, “All countries have the right to decide their foreign policy independently, and should not be forced to take sides,” before adding, “China does not seek geopolitical self-interest. It is not our mindset to watch the situation indifferently from the sidelines, let alone do anything to add fuel to the fire.”
The UNSC session comes after Moscow’s military retreat from Kyiv and surrounding regions, following which Bucha gained international attention for the violence carried out by Russian troops. In Bucha, Ukrainian officials said that they found dead bodies with their hands tied behind their back, claiming that Russian troops executed as many as 400 civilians.
THREAD from Bucha.
— James Longman (@JamesAALongman) April 5, 2022
We met Mykola. He and his wife spent a month living in the cellar of his apartment building. When the Russians arrived, they killed all the men below 50. He’s 53. He told us this shaking with the trauma of it. They gave him 20 minutes to bury his friends. pic.twitter.com/DqayuM2jUH
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russian forces of committing “genocide” against Ukrainian civilians in the city of Bucha. United States President Joe Biden has also emphasised the need to investigate and gather evidence in order to conduct a “wartime trial.”
Referring to these calls to action, the Chinese diplomat called on all parties “to abide by international humanitarian law, protect the safety of civilians and civilian facilities, minimise civilian casualties, ensure safe and smooth humanitarian corridors for evacuees and humanitarian assistance, and guarantee the basic rights of women, children, and wounded and detained fighters.”
However, certain experts from Beijing have even gone as far as dismissing the Bucha violence to be “fake.” “The Bucha mass killings were faked by Ukraine’s leadership because President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is an actor, and Russia had no motive to kill civilians,” Chinese military expert Song Zhongping, said about the reports of war crimes in the city northwest of Kyiv. “The residents of Bucha, he said, were likely shot for being Russian sympathizers,” the frequent contributor to Chinese state-owned news outlet Global Times wrote.
Developing countries aren't parties to the conflict, and shouldn't be involved in the confrontation, let alone bear the consequences of geopolitical conflicts and great power competition. Major economies should manage the spillover risk and maintain momentum of global recovery.
— Zhang Jun (@ChinaAmbUN) April 5, 2022
As crimes committed by the Russian forces in Bucha were made public, even India, a traditional Russian ally, strengthened its stance against Russia by condemning the violence and calling for an international probe. India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, T S Tirumurti, said, “Recent reports of civilian killings in Bucha are deeply disturbing. We unequivocally condemn these killings and support the call for an independent investigation.” Nevertheless, New Delhi has continued its refusal to outright name Russia as the actor responsible for civilian deaths.