"China’s Reaction to the Ukraine War and Its Role Choices in the Global Order" - by CWP alum Xiaoyu Pu

Journal Abstract

The war between Russia and Ukraine has been a topic of interest for scholars and policymakers worldwide. Western countries have condemned and imposed sanctions on Russia, while countries in the Global South have taken varying positions. In this Forum, we will analyse the origins of the war and the responses to it of key countries in the Global South, including China, India, Brazil, South Africa, and Iran. The war has multiple causes, and identifying them has implications for understanding what is necessary to regain peace. However, reaching a consensus on its causes will not be easy. Great and middle powers in the Global South have refused to condemn Russia’s aggression, at the same time claiming to uphold the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity. Their positions are shaped by different perspectives and trade-offs between instrumental calculations and normative considerations. The war in Ukraine has brought the issue of global order to the forefront of world politics. It raises the questions of whether the structure of the international system is shifting towards a post-Western order or whether the conflict has strengthened Western domination. Furthermore, countries in the Global South question the legitimacy of certain aspects of the Western-dominated order. By examining the perspectives of the Global South, this Forum may contribute to discussions on the Russia–Ukraine war and the role of the Global South in the shifting global order.

Forum: The Russia–Ukraine War and Reactions from the Global South 

Vidya Nadkarni, Paul D’Anieri, Sydney Kerr, Gulnaz Sharafutdinova, Xiaoyu Pu, Deepa M Ollapally, Paulo Velasco Junior, Candice Moore, Abdolrasool Divsallar

The Chinese Journal of International Politics, Volume 17, Issue 4, 2024, Pages 449–489, https://doi.org/10.1093/cjip/poae021

Published: 23 September 2024

Xiaoyu Pu is an associate professor of political science at the University of Nevada, Reno. He is a member of the Public Intellectuals Program of the National Committee on United States-China Relations (NCUSCR). He has also received fellowships from the Inter-American Dialogue in Washington D.C., Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV) in Brazil and the China and the World Program at Princeton University. He is the author of Rebranding China: Contested Status Signaling in the Changing Global Order (The Studies in Asian Security Series, Stanford University Press, 2019). His research has appeared in International Security, International Affairs, The China Quarterly, and The Chinese Journal of International Politics. He serves on the editorial boards of The Chinese Journal of International Politics (Oxford University Press) and Foreign Affairs Review (China).

Photo Credit: By Viewsridge - Own work based on: Russo-Ukrainian conflict (2014-2022).svg by Rr016 & Ukraine adm location map improved.svg by Yakiv GluckTerritorial control sources:Template:Russo-Ukrainian War detailed map / Template:Russo-Ukrainian War detailed relief mapISW, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=115506141