The Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that Moscow does not have or need the backing of Beijing for its military attack on Ukraine.
“As for the US suggestion that Russia has China's backing to act, I believe Russia will be very unhappy to hear such a statement,” ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told the media during a regular press briefing.
Hua said that Russia is both an independent power and a permanent member of the UN Security Council. She claimed that Moscow’s action is based entirely on its own judgement and national interests.
She emphasized that Sino-Russian relations are based on non-alignment, non-confrontation, and non-targeting of third parties.
China is not interested in, and has no intention of following, the Cold War mentality of either friend or foe, she added.
The spokeswoman added that China and Russia should strengthen strategic communication and coordination, and firmly safeguard the system in which the United Nations plays a core coordination role in international affairs.
Hua did not refer to Russia’s attack as an invasion.
The operation comes days after Moscow recognized the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk republics in the Donbass. Moscow alleged that Kiev had failed to implement obligations under the Minsk agreements struck in 2014 and 2015 to resolve conflict between separatists and the Ukrainian government.
Speaking on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Moscow’s actions were connected to the continued failure to implement the 2015 roadmap.
On Thursday morning, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he had ordered his country's military to conduct a ‘special operation’ in the Donbass region.
Moscow has hit multiple military infrastructure targets all over Ukraine. The Russian Ministry of Defense has claimed that there is no threat for the civilians, while Ukraine has announced it has severed diplomatic ties with Russia.