Russia’s war in Ukraine : mapping China’s perceptions about the United States, the EU and Russia

Abstract

There has been considerable speculation about the deepening economic and security ties between China and Russia and Scepticism about China’s potential to play a mediating role between Russia and Ukraine. However, there is a notable paucity of information on China’s perceptions of the key actors in Russia’s war in Ukraine. Gaining an understanding of these perceptions is important for discerning the prospects for either cooperation or confrontation. A study conducted between February2022 and 30 November 2022, has examined the portrayal of the Ukrainian conflict in press releases from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and state-led media reports from China Daily and Xinhua News.