China Denies Plans to Get Involved in Ukraine

China has swiftly denied a German newspaper report that said it was considering a peacekeeping role in Ukraine once Russia's war comes to an end.

Welt am Sonntag, which reported the sensitive discussions on Saturday, became the latest publication recently to quote Western officials about the possibility of direct Chinese involvement.

Newsweek reached out to the Ukrainian and Russian Foreign Ministries via email for comment.

Why It Matters

China has gained a positive reputation for its contributions to United Nations peacekeeping missions, particularly in Africa. Thus far, however, it has shown little interest in any role as a ceasefire enforcer in a regional conflict without a U.N. Security Council mandate.

Any future presence in Ukraine would signal a major shift in Chinese foreign policy away from decades of nonintervention. However, a readiness to commit military resources of its own accord could also align with President Xi Jinping's ambitions to turn the country into a net contributor to global security.

Short of that, China's state-backed enterprises are expected to bid for contracts to help rebuild Ukraine's tattered infrastructure after three years of conflict, an idea that may have support in some corners of Europe amid souring relations with the United States under President Donald Trump.

What To Know

Chinese diplomats have raised the idea of Chinese peacekeepers with the European Union, with the view of gauging desirability, Welt said.

"Involving China in a 'coalition of the willing' could potentially increase Russia's acceptance of peacekeeping forces in Ukraine," the newspaper quoted a diplomatic source in Brussels as saying.

The coalition refers to rallying done by French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who seek a consensus on near-term European support for Ukraine to strengthen its hand in U.S.-brokered negotiations with the Kremlin.

"The report is not true at all," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said during a press conference in Beijing. "China's stance on the Ukraine crisis is consistent and clear," he said, without elaborating.

China has maintained a balancing act since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. It has rejected Western pressure to openly censure or sanction its strategic partner Moscow while arguing a position of neutrality that has won Beijing favor in much of the Global South.

European leaders have accused China of enabling Russia's war through booming two-way trade and the indirect supply of dual-use conflict materials. Therefore, its involvement in postwar Ukraine is a "delicate" matter, Welt said.

Last month, The Wall Street Journal and The Economist quoted Western officials as saying China sought a peacekeeping role in the Ukraine war by contributing to a non-European security force that would monitor the ceasefire line. At the time, Chinese officials declined to comment directly on what it considered a hypothetical situation.

But the possibility was also floated at February's Munich Security Conference by retired Chinese colonel Zhou Bo—now a senior analyst at Tsinghua University in Beijing—who said China had "sufficient troops and military strength" to form part of any collective security guarantee to Ukraine.

What People Are Saying

Velina Tchakarova, founder of the FACE geopolitics consultancy, on X, formerly Twitter: "China has previously expressed interest in mediating the conflict. In February 2023, it released a 12-point peace plan advocating for a ceasefire and peace talks. However, this proposal was met with skepticism from Western nations due to China's close ties with Russia.

"China's potential participation in a peacekeeping mission marks a significant development in its role regarding the Ukraine war given the [China-Russia] DragonBear modus operandi of a strategic coordination between China and Russia, reflecting their collaboration efforts across various domains to challenge Western influence and reshape the global order."

What Happens Next

The trajectory of the Ukraine war is being decided by U.S.-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia on Monday, which followed U.S.-Ukraine discussions a day earlier. China has backed the consultations between Washington and Moscow and has not openly championed any specific outcome.

This Thursday, Macron and Starmer will invite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to a summit in Paris. France and Britain have said they are prepared to send peacekeepers to Ukraine.