On March 7, 2024, officials in Beijing held a rare news conference where China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi discussed domestic and global issues as well as China’s relationship with Russia. Yi reaffirmed China’s continued partnership with Russia despite the ongoing war in Ukraine, condemned the war in Gaza, criticized U.S. sanctions on China, and reiterated their determination to reunite Taiwan with Beijing. This news conference presents numerous contradictions as some of China’s current undertakings on the global stage challenge Yi’s statements. Given that China will continue to support Russia, it becomes increasingly difficult to envision an end to the war in Ukraine, and future tensions are likely to arise.

On February 16, 2024, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and F.M. Yi met to discuss the diplomatic strain between their two countries. The meeting ended with a “rehearsed” and “routine” response of maintaining communication channels as each country navigates these global issues, showing that the two did not find a solution to fix U.S.-China relations. According to the Associated Press, State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller announced that “the two sides had a candid and constructive discussion on a range of bilateral, regional and global issues as part of ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communication.” However, Miller’s analysis of the diplomatic meeting was likely premature as Yi’s most recent statement demonstrated that China continues to prioritize actions that are in their national best interest which does not necessarily align with American values. Furthermore, the Guardian reported that senior China correspondent Amy Hawkins claimed that “press conferences on the sidelines of the N.P.C., including with Wang Yi, the top foreign affairs official, largely consisted of scripted answers.” China’s lack of transparency, combined with its rehearsed scripts likely orchestrated by Xi Jinping, undermines any hopes of improving relations with the U.S. and weakening China’s alliance with Russia, which has significant implications for current global conflicts.

Knowing that the war in Ukraine is destructive and contributes to an ongoing humanitarian crisis, it is hypocritical for Yi to claim that the war must be stopped while simultaneously supporting Russia. Furthermore, the acknowledged possibility that Yi’s statements are scripted undermines the credibility of the news conference and raises concerns about hidden agendas. Yi’s talk of conflict prevention fails to translate into meaningful action, especially given China’s allegiance with Russia, which is rife with contradictions.

China’s relationship with Russia can be traced back to their mutual support during the Cold War and China’s communist revolution. Their shared communist ideals historically made them easy allies, allowing them to back each other whenever necessary. Both Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping view democracy as a threat to their pro-authoritarian governments, which leads them to distance themselves from the West. Consequently, anything they say should be taken with a grain of salt.

Yi’s debriefing is not honest and does not offer any real insight on how China will help de-escalate the war in Ukraine if they continue to support Russia. It is evident that the situation will not improve if Russia continues to receive support. Future implications may require the United States to negotiate with both Russia and China to achieve a compromise or a more diplomatic approach to current global issues.