The Chinese are Rooting for Putin’s War. And It’s Not Their Fault.

WAR IS PEACE. FREEDOM IS SLAVERY. IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH. In light of the Russia-Ukraine war, Orwell’s bleak prophecy of a dystopia that controls reality so tightly that its subjects are forced into accepting “doublethink” has never been more relevant.

Today it is hard to browse the internet without coming across angry comments on the ongoing conflict. While most of the world has resoundingly denounced Russia’s incursion into Ukraine, the majority of people from my country, China, are counterintuitively rooting for Putin’s war. However, they are not necessarily to blame.

Chinese diplomats walk a fine line distancing themselves from Russian aggression while expressing pleasantries such as a “diplomatic solution.” But behind the Great Firewall there exists an alternative reality. Influencers are cyberbullied for referring to Russia’s invasion as an invasion. Netizens seen as sympathetic to war victims are mocked as “Taiwanese spies.” Taniya, a Ukrainian vlogger who made videos revealing horrors in her hometown, was told by fervent nationalists that the Russians were there to “liberate” her from neo-Nazism. She came from Bucha.

These comments are egregious. However, it would be wrong to lambast a marionette without identifying the puppeteer. In a conspicuous attempt to rally support for authoritarianism, the Chinese Communist Party is actively spinning the narrative and using its mouthpieces to promote sympathy for Russia and blame America for stoking tensions. Xi Jinping fears that if the public started to criticize Putin for his wrongdoings, one day he might come under fire too.

Take a glance through Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter, and you’ll find Putin hailed as an unyielding national hero. On the other hand, pro-Ukrainian, or even neutral voices face severe suppression. Even though a sizable portion of the Chinese share the same empathy as their Western counterparts, strict censorship limits what is visible on social media to nothing but echoes of monotonous propaganda jargon.

The Minitrue may have backfired this time. Many members of the middle class, formerly indifferent to authoritarian rule, now seem confused, even slightly repulsed by the way Russian disinformation is parroted by state media. A protester held Ukrainian flags in downtown Chongqing, questioning why his government chose to side with a tyrant. Rebellious teenagers, myself included, updated their profile pictures to the colours blue and yellow to voice solidarity with the Ukrainian people.

What can be done to stop the Big Brothers? People in China and the West must actively donate to Ukrainian charities for humanitarian causes. Credible newspapers like the New York Times and BBC should increase their coverage of protest movements in authoritarian regimes, providing accurate information and exerting greater pressure on autocrats. War is not peace, freedom is not slavery, and defiance is the greatest strength.

Works cited

1. The New York Times. “In Some Parts of the World, the War in Ukraine Seems Justified.” The New York Times. 17 Mar. 2022.

2. Al Jazeera. “China’s Xi: Beijing supports peace talks between Russia, Ukraine.” Al Jazeera. 9 Mar. 2022.

3. The New York Times. “China Sees at Least One Winner Emerging From Ukraine War: China.” The New York Times. 14 Mar. 2022.

4. Kirby, Jen. “What Chinese media is saying about Russia’s Ukraine war.” Vox. 3 Apr. 2022.

5. The New York Times. “China’s Echoes of Russia’s Alternate Reality Intensify Around the World.” 11 Apr. 2022.

6. The New York Times. “Bristling Against the West, China Rallies Domestic Sympathy for Russia.” 4 Apr. 2022.

7. Chaguan. “China has honed its justifications for taking Russia’s side.” The Economist. 26 Mar. 2022.

8. Chaguan. “Don’t underestimate Xi Jinping’s bond with Vladimir Putin.” The Economist. 9 Apr. 2022.

9. French, Howard, “Ukraine Exposed the True Danger of Chinese Censorship.” Foreign Policy. 11 Apr. 2022.