Originally published 2022-03-25.
Wang Yi, then China's foreign minister, photographed in Rome on 31 October 2021 before talks with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the G20 summit. Photo: Tiziana Fabi/Pool via Reuters.
On 20 March 2022, less than four weeks after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing's position on the war was "objective and fair" and would prove to be on the right side of history. He spoke two days after a video call in which U.S. President Joe Biden warned Chinese President Xi Jinping of consequences if China gave Russia material support. Wang also said China would not accept outside coercion or pressure.
The remark was a statement of how Beijing wanted to be seen: as a neutral voice for peace rather than a partner of Moscow. What follows explains the context, what China actually did in the months and years after, and how to read claims like this one.
What Wang Yi said and when
According to a statement released by China's foreign ministry on Sunday 20 March and reported by Reuters, Wang summarised the Xi–Biden call for reporters. He said the most important message from Xi was that China had always worked to preserve world peace and opposed war, and that its stance matched the wishes of most countries.
He also rejected what he called unfounded accusations and suspicions against China. That was a direct answer to U.S. officials, who had said publicly that Russia had asked China for military and economic help, something both Moscow and Beijing denied.
Around the same time, Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng, then the ministry's executive vice minister, had described Western sanctions on Russia as "outrageous", according to Reuters. Together the two statements set out China's line in the first weeks of the war: call for peace talks, refuse to condemn Russia by name, and oppose sanctions.
The Biden–Xi call behind the remarks
Biden and Xi spoke by video for about two hours on 18 March 2022, with Ukraine at the top of the agenda. Afterward, the White House said Biden had described the implications and consequences if China provided material support to Russia as it carried out attacks on Ukrainian cities and civilians.
China's own account of the call stressed different points. It quoted Xi as saying that the conflict should end as soon as possible, that all sides should support dialogue between Russia and Ukraine, and that the United States and NATO should talk with Russia about the security concerns underlying the crisis. That framing, which places part of the responsibility on NATO's expansion, was a recurring theme in Chinese statements.
Why China's neutrality was questioned
Only three weeks before the invasion, on 4 February 2022, Xi and Vladimir Putin had met in Beijing and announced a partnership with "no limits". That declaration made it hard for many governments to take China's neutrality at face value.
China's votes at the United Nations reinforced the doubts. It abstained on a Security Council draft condemning the invasion on 25 February 2022, and on 2 March it was one of 35 countries that abstained on General Assembly Resolution ES-11/1, which demanded Russia's full withdrawal from Ukraine. The resolution passed with 141 votes in favour and five against. Abstaining is not the same as supporting Russia, but it was a clear refusal to side with the large majority.
China also said it would not join sanctions imposed by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom and Japan. Trade with Russia then grew sharply, reaching a record of around $190 billion in 2022 and about $240 billion in 2023, as China bought more Russian energy and sold more cars, electronics and machinery.
What China did next
On 24 February 2023, the first anniversary of the invasion, China published a 12-point position paper calling for a ceasefire, peace talks, respect for sovereignty and an end to unilateral sanctions. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was open to parts of it; Western governments were sceptical because it did not require Russia to withdraw.
On 26 April 2023 Xi held his first phone call with Zelenskyy since the war began, which the Ukrainian leader called long and meaningful. Meanwhile, the U.S. and the EU later sanctioned a number of Chinese companies they accused of supplying components used by Russia's military, a charge Beijing rejected.
How to read "the right side of history"
The phrase is a common piece of diplomatic rhetoric, used by many governments to suggest that critics will eventually be proven wrong. It is a forecast and a claim about legitimacy, not evidence. When reading a statement like Wang's, it helps to separate three questions:
- What did the government say? Here: China favours peace, opposes sanctions and rejects outside pressure.
- What did it do? Abstentions at the UN, refusal to join sanctions, growing trade with Russia, a peace plan and later diplomacy with Kyiv.
- What do others say it did? Claims of material support for Russia's war effort came from Western governments and were denied by Beijing, so they need their own evidence.
A broad statement of fairness cannot settle any of these on its own. Each needs to be checked against votes, trade data and verified reporting.
Who Wang Yi is
Born in Beijing in 1953, Wang Yi became foreign minister in March 2013. He handed the post to Qin Gang at the end of 2022 and became director of the Communist Party's Central Foreign Affairs Commission Office, the top foreign-policy job in the party. When Qin was abruptly removed in July 2023, Wang returned as foreign minister while keeping his party role. Le Yucheng, quoted above, left the foreign ministry in June 2022 for a post at China's broadcasting regulator, a move widely seen as a demotion.
Wang's March 2022 remarks are best read as an early, carefully worded statement of a position China has largely held since: closeness to Moscow, opposition to sanctions, and repeated calls for talks.
Sources: Reuters, 20 March 2022: China on right side of history over Ukraine war, foreign minister says; Wikipedia: China and the Russian invasion of Ukraine; Wikipedia: UN General Assembly Resolution ES-11/1; Wikipedia: Wang Yi; Wikipedia: Le Yucheng.
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