On May 23 the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi received the Brazilian foreign policy adviser Celso Amorim in Beijing. The two sides discussed, inter alia, the conflict in Ukraine. After the meeting the Chinese news agency Xinhua put out a “six point common understanding” reached between China and Brazil for a possible resolution of the conflict in Ukraine. The six points are reproduced below:
1.The two sides call on all relevant parties to observe three principles for deescalating the situation, namely no expansion of the battlefield, no escalation of fighting and no provocation by any party.
2.The two sides believe that dialogue and negotiation are the only viable solution to the Ukraine crisis. All parties should create conditions for the resumption of direct dialogue and push for the deescalation of the situation until the realization of a comprehensive ceasefire. China and Brazil support an international peace conference held at a proper time that is recognized by both Russia and Ukraine, with equal participation of all parties as well as fair discussion of all peace plans.
3.Efforts are needed to increase humanitarian assistance to relevant regions and prevent a humanitarian crisis on a larger scale. Attacks on civilians or civilian facilities must be avoided, and civilians including women and children and prisoners of war (POWs) must be protected. The two sides support the exchange of POWs between the parties to the conflict.
4.The use of weapons of mass destruction, particularly nuclear weapons and chemical and biological weapons must be opposed. All possible efforts must be made to prevent nuclear proliferation and avoid nuclear crisis.
5.Attacks on nuclear power plants and other peaceful nuclear facilities must be opposed. All parties should comply with international law including the Convention on Nuclear Safety and resolutely prevent man-made nuclear accidents.
6.Dividing the world into isolated political or economic groups should be opposed. The two sides call for efforts to enhance international cooperation on energy, currency, finance, trade, food security and the security of critical infrastructure, including oil and gas pipelines, undersea optical cables, electricity and energy facilities, and fiber-optic networks, so as to protect the stability of global industrial and supply chains.
The following observations are warranted:
> Celso Amorim is the most influential foreign policy adviser to Brazilian President Lula and in that sense is way more consequential than the Foreign Minister of Brazil. So, the statement agreed upon by him with Wang Yi can be construed as Brazil’s official position on Ukraine.
>There is absolutely no reference to Russia having to withdraw from any of the Ukrainian territories it has occupied. What the Sino-Brazilian proposal does is to freeze the conflict calling for no further expansion on the battlefield and no further escalation of fighting. This may be expected to infuriate Ukraine, the EU and the West who have all been calling for a Russian withdrawal from Ukrainian-occupied territories as a pre-condition to any resolution of the conflict in Ukraine. The Sino-Brazilian proposal therefore is probably dead on arrival.
>Urging dialogue and diplomacy, it calls for an international peace conference at the right time which is supported by both Russia and Ukraine. It is clear neither China nor Brazil think of the impending Ukraine peace conference in Switzerland in June 2024 as either useful or legitimate.
>Both China and Brazil express themselves strongly against the threat or use of nuclear weapons and safety of nuclear installations. This is welcome and an extension of the Chinese position. The Indian position is similar as well.
>Both countries oppose the formation of political and economic groups. For China to say this is par for the course. But Brazil siding with China in implicitly opposing groups like AUKUS or even Quad, and calling for efforts to enhance international cooperation on energy, currency, finance, trade, food security and the security of critical infrastructure etc so as to protect the stability of global industrial and supply chains is cocking a snook at the US regarding its alliances in the Indo-Pacific, the sanctions in place against Russia & China, and its elaborate efforts at building resilient supply chains. Is this the beginning of some common positions by Brazil and China in the context of BRICS? We will have to wait and see.
It is well known that Lula is his own man and is capable of taking on EU and the West. What is also interesting is that the Chinese press has claimed that China and Brazil, in coming up with this six point common understanding are speaking on behalf of the Global South. India and others in the Global South should duly take note.
Diplomacy and Geopolitics 