Western nations have imposed economic sanctions on Russia and supplied weapons to Ukraine following President Vladimir Putin’s invasion in February. China has refused to condemn Russia’s war, accusing Beijing of backing Moscow’s invasion. Rand, a Mandarin speaker who nurtured Australia’s relationship with China during his tenure as prime minister between 2007 and 2010, said the importance of its ties with Moscow meant that Beijing would not “distance itself from Russia” under President Xi Jinping. “Too many Chinese strategic interests are based on Moscow’s relationship with the stability of its border with Russia. The fact that China does not want to focus on a Russian problem, but to focus on the United States regionally and globally. “China sees the strategic utility in Russia as a rolling strategic diversion for the Americans, the Middle East, North Africa and Europe,” Rand told the Financial Times in an interview. “China sees Russia as a reliable long-term source of coal, gas, oil, grain and other commodities.” Rand, a member of the opposition Labor Party, said Australia had faced “a difficult challenge with China’s rise” because it was the country’s largest trading partner, accounting for more than a quarter of two-way trade, according to government figures. . . The deterioration of diplomatic relations has been transmitted to trade in recent years, with China imposing levies or informal bans on Australian coal, wine, beef and barley. Mandarin speaker Kevin Rand criticizes encouraging Canberra’s relationship with Beijing during AAP’s presidency Rand defended the Aukus security pact announced last year between the UK, US and Australia, saying the tripartite defense deal, signed by Liberal Party Prime Minister Scott Morrison, was a natural response to its growing military capability. Of China. “Let’s be very clear: China is expanding its military spending, investing in blue water capabilities, offensive weapons systems, expanding its nuclear arsenal, a thousand new ground-based nuclear silos, along with supersonic weapons tests,” he said. Rand. Richard McGregor, a senior fellow at the Lowy Institute think-tank, said he agreed “broadly” with Rudd’s assessment of China’s view of Russia. McGregor said the “borderless cooperation” between Russia and China, announced in February, was “two decades in the making” and would not “unfold quickly”. “The Chinese system was squeezed trying to formulate a response after the initial invasion [of Ukraine]”But it is quite clear now that they are standing just behind Russia,” McGregor said. “And the best indication is that all official propaganda is focused on blaming the United States.” In his new book, The Avoidable War, Rudd argues that war between the United States and China is a growing possibility, but can be avoided by “managing strategic competition.” This would set clear geopolitical “red lines”, compete in “non-lethal” areas such as trade, foreign policy and ideology, and work together on issues such as climate change, public health and global financial stability. Video: China, Russia and the war in Ukraine
