The hysteria in war party circles over President Xi Jinping’s coming peace initiative for the Ukraine conflict was on full display in a Feb. 20 editorial in London’s The Economist magazine, which threatened China that if it “allies itself with Russia, there will be a world war.”
The threat was parlayed through Ukraine’s Anglo-American puppet, President Zelensky, who told Germany’s Die Welt that, while he would like China to be on Ukraine’s side, “at the moment … I don’t think it’s possible. But I do see an opportunity for China to make a pragmatic assessment of what is happening here. Because if China allies itself with Russia, there will be a world war, and I do think that China is aware of that.”
The Economist made Zelensky’s threat — “if China allies itself with Russia, there will be a world war” — the kicker and theme of its editorial, which ranted against China for its “pro-Russian pseudo-neutrality.” The Economist is fairly confident that European leaders will not fall for China’s “pitch” that it wants to help end the war, but China’s ability to “woo” leaders of the Global South worries the British more. The editorial concludes:
“China wants to be seen as a peace-loving giant that sticks up for forgotten parts of the world in the face of Western hectoring. Its argument that countries should focus on economic growth and poverty alleviation rather than human rights gets some traction in parts of the developing world. So does China’s portrayal of the war as the latest example of Western-inspired global disorder, sending food and energy prices higher. By offering a peace proposal, no matter how unrealistic, it can portray itself as a global statesman with more legitimacy than America.
“But that message is received differently in the capitals of liberal democracies. Europeans may not like everything about America’s hawkishness on China, but they know a self-serving Chinese argument when they hear one. There are rumors that Mr Xi will soon give a speech on peace in Ukraine. If it is another anti-American apologia dressed up in talk of a `A Community of Shared Future for Mankind’ and other Chinese jargon, it will only strengthen fears that a proxy conflict on the blood-soaked plains of Ukraine risks becoming a global confrontation.”
