Munir Ahmed<\/p>\n
The Ukraine war would have ended in the second week if both countries had gone for negotiations to settle their conflicts<\/p>\n
The Ukraine war is escalating unprecedentedly. Seems that both warring countries are all out to ruin each other while 197 countries are participating in the 27th UN Conference of Parties (COP27) on climate change in Sharm Al-Shaikh (Egypt). Once again, after the Afghanistan War, Russia is fighting all alone to defend its geopolitical interests in the region while the Kyiv allies are exuberantly fuelling the war. Besides the US and the NATO military shipments and the EU support, now the US-influenced countries are also jumping on the Kyiv side to fight what they term \u201cRussian invasion.\u201d Only a few countries are diplomatically supporting Moscow. Perhaps fatigued, Russia has reiterated repeatedly of using nuclear weapons if the US, NATO, EU and their influenced countries keep on fuelling the war.
\nChina is among the few countries supporting Russia\u2019s stance over the US and NATO fiddling in Ukraine on the diplomatic fronts. But, the news agency Reuters reported on Sunday (November 6, 2022) that \u201cin a first clear message to Russia, Chinese President Xi Jinping has warned against nuclear weapons over Ukraine.\u201d President Xi warned Russia after a meeting with German chancellor Olaf Scholz in Beijing.
\nQuoting the news agency: \u201cScholz condemned threats to use atomic weapons in Ukraine, warning that Russia risked \u2018crossing a line\u2019 in the international community by resorting to the nuclear force.\u201d
\nAs reported, he pressed Xi to prevail on Russia to end its invasion of Ukraine, saying Beijing had a responsibility as a major power to do so. However, Xi refrained from criticizing Russia or calling on Moscow to withdraw its troops. Certainly, all sane minds would agree that nuclear threats are \u201cirresponsible and incendiary\u201d as Scholz has said, and by using nuclear weapons, \u201cRussia would be crossing a line that the community of states has drawn together.\u201d
\nIndeed great concern, but don\u2019t we need to take care of the \u201clines\u201d drawn by the comity of states on fiddling and promoting militant insurgency in other states? The Ukraine war would have ended in the second week if both countries had gone for negotiations to settle their conflicts. It was the US and the West that prevented them from sitting together and talking with free minds. Their regular and consistent supplies of heavy military shipments and, as reported, the engagement of their skilled technical human resource in support of Ukraine has led to worsening the situation.
\nScholz is facing a lot of criticism from within his coalition about relations with Beijing while he has been trying to balance securing a level playing field for European companies with shedding Germany\u2019s heavy reliance on the Chinese market. In this context, his visit is considered sane and productive while Germany is facing inflation, and food and energy crises. The experts pin hopes on enhanced Chinese cooperation with Germany to combat the current challenges. China\u2019s statement urging Russia to refrain from using nuclear weapons is being considered a \u201cworthwhile\u201d outcome of the Scholz visit.
\nLast Friday, top diplomats from the world\u2019s major industrialized democracies rallied support for Ukraine in its resistance to Russia\u2019s invasion, expressing \u201cunwavering commitment\u201d to Ukraine\u2019s defence. They expressed suspicion of China\u2019s increasing assertiveness amid a panoply of global crises. The ministers accused Russia of \u201ctrying to terrorize the civilian population\u201d of Ukraine by targeting critical power, water and other infrastructure and demanded an end to the war, the US news agency AP reported.
\nUkraine\u2019s Western allies have been accusing Russia of threatening to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine. While Moscow has repeatedly denied and accused Kyiv of planning to use a radioactive \u201cdirty bomb\u201d. The US has already accepted at the UNSC of having Biolabs in Ukraine for \u201cpeaceful research\u201d. Russia\u2019s this complaint has yet to take any final turn.
\nRussia has also pointed out that Taiwan, at the instigation of the USA, is supporting Ukraine in its confrontation with Russia. Since the start of the \u201cRussian Armed Forces Special Military Operation\u201d in Ukraine, dozens of volunteers from Taiwan have arrived on Ukrainian territory to take part in the conflict on the side of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. In particular, according to data available on the Internet, Taiwanese mercenaries from the Ukrainian so-called \u201cInternational Legion\u201d and the \u201cCarpathian Sich\u201d battalion are fighting on the side of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Additionally, at the end of August 2022, the island state secretly transferred about 800 Revolver 860 drones to the Ukrainian army via Poland.
\nTaiwan\u2019s support of the Kyiv regime is being considered a part of a political course coordinated by the US and the West to weaken Russia\u2019s position as China\u2019s ally in the global geopolitical arena. The recent visits of the US top officials to Taiwan and firm commitments of \u201ccooperation and support\u201d reflect that Washington can increase multifold support to Taiwan to build a united front against Russia and China in the Asia-Pacific region. Only the US and a few of its allies recognize Taiwan as the Republic of China (ROC) and are said to be supporting the creation of a North and South Korea-type framework. Certainly not acceptable for China and its friends and geopolitical allies including Russia, which the trilateral alliance of Australia, the UK and the US (AUKUS) is aiming at. Will the engagement of Taiwan in Ukraine divert the focus of China and Russia away from the Russia-Ukraine standoff? Seems not, but President Xi Jinping and Scholz\u2019s joint statement may disturb Moscow. Nevertheless, no signs of any change in the region\u2019s strategic position in the global context after President Xi Jinping has secured historic and a precedent-breaking third term in power. An overwhelming vote of confidence for the consistency of his vision, policies and action agenda in implementation by China in the region and globally. One-China, regional and global economic growth, peace and prosperity, the Belt and Road Initiative will remain the top priority for President Xi. Supporting Russia\u2019s stance over the Ukraine war also serves Chinese geopolitical interests.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Munir Ahmed The Ukraine war would have ended in the second week if both countries had gone for negotiations to settle their conflicts The Ukraine war is escalating unprecedentedly. Seems that both warring countries are all out to ruin each other while 197 countries are participating in the 27th UN Conference of Parties (COP27) on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[3158,11371,4794],"class_list":{"0":"post-294244","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-article","7":"tag-munir-ahmed","8":"tag-new-twists","9":"tag-ukraine-war"},"yoast_head":"\n