Not the request for weapons and ammunition, constant in his visits to Western countries, but the attempt to overcome “Asian cynicism” and involve the countries of the region in a broader diplomatic project. This would have been the objective of the visit to Asia by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who unexpectedly arrived in Singapore in recent days to broaden global support for Kiev as the peace conference approaches which will be held on June 15 and 16 in Switzerland and in which China has said it does not want to participate, writes the ‘Washington Post’.
“We want Asia to know what is happening in Ukraine, which Asia supports the end of the war – Zelensky said in a press conference – We want Asian leaders to participate in the peace summit”. Although “I know that for some here the war in Ukraine seems further away than it actually is”, admitted Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren, finding that in Asia the feelings of emotional and existential anguish experienced in the West are not shared . ”But the ultimate impact will be on global security,” she added.
On the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, the intergovernmental security conference held every year in Singapore organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Zelensky met among others with Indonesian president-elect Prabowo Subianto, the president and the prime minister of Singapore , as well as Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin. He, however, kept his relations with Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun cold. “Unfortunately, Ukraine does not have strong ties with China because China does not want it”Zelensky said.
The accusations in Beijing
The Ukrainian leader accused Beijing of being one “tool” in the hands of the Russians to counter Ukrainian diplomacy. ”Russia, by exploiting Chinese influence in the region and also by using Chinese diplomats, is doing everything it can to hinder the peace summit” in Switzerland, Zelensky denounced, denying the Chinese theses according to which its exports to Russia cannot be used for military purposes. “Today there is information that somehow elements of Russian armaments come from China“, he added. But Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning responded that Beijing has never “fazed the fire or fanned the flames” of the war between Russia and Ukraine, claiming its efforts to support peace beyond participation or otherwise in the peace conference in Switzerland.
The Ukrainian leader joined Ferdinand Marcos, president of the Philippines, who accused Beijing of “illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive actions” in the disputed territorial waters of the South China Sea. Even Austin, without mentioning China, spoke of a ”new convergence” of partnerships and military alliances of the United States with Asian countries and which ”is about union and not division”, that is, ”free choices of sovereign states”.
The Chinese reaction read by analysts
In response, Dong spoke of “hegemonic” ambitions of the United States and asked Asian governments to resolve their security disputes. In particular he accused the Philippines of being ”emboldened” by outside powers and said that Taiwan’s leadership should be ”nailed to the pillar of shame in history”. The prospect of a ”peaceful reunification” of China, he added, has been ”eroded” by Taiwan’s ”independence activists” and its foreign supporters.
But as China’s provocations and aggressive actions grow, many analysts are doubtful. As reported by the Washington Post, Korean scholar Chung Min Lee asked Dong ”how can we trust you when your words and actions are totally opposite?”. The Chinese Defense Minister decided not to respond and according to Jennifer Parker, a maritime affairs expert at the Australian National University’s National Security College, Dong “gave the clear impression that he had come to say what he needed to say to a domestic audience and that he had no interest in the international audience’s response ”. Even because Dong’s words ”gave chills” and were ”not interested in reducing tension”.
What distances Asia from the Ukrainian crisis is, according to C. Raja Mohan of the Institute of South Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore, the history of the last century in the region which is full of memories of Western powers acting in their pure national interest. Often through coercion and sometimes in support of brutal dictatorships. In Asia ”they have never believed (Western) rhetoric because they have always known that there is a difference between what the West says and what it does,” Raja Mohan told the Washington Post. But the latest signs could work in the United States’ favor since ”for those on China’s periphery, the current problem is China’s expansionism”.
José Ramos-Horta, president of East Timor, confirmed to Zelensky that he will attend the Ukraine peace conference in Switzerland, while lamenting the lack of broader solidarity in the region. ”It saddens me that there is no collective international push to end the ongoing war” in Ukraine, Ramos-Horta said. ”In much of the Global South it is seen as a European, American and Russian war. Partly, this has to do with the incomprehensible tolerance of the United States and Europe towards Israel’s brutal war against the Palestinians,” he explained.
