China Continues Boilerplate Response After Russian Missile Strikes on Kyiv

China continued its delicate balancing act on the Russia-Ukraine war this week by declining to comment on Moscow's retaliatory missile strikes on civilian areas in Kyiv.

Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, said Monday that Beijing had "noted relevant reports." She told a Reuters journalist, according to a transcript published by the ministry: "We hope the situation will deescalate as soon as possible."

Russian forces launched dozens of cruise missiles at Kyiv and other regional centers including western Lviv near the Polish border. At least six people were killed and 51 injured in the Ukrainian capital alone, local officials said, while the death toll across the country rose to 19 as of Tuesday, Ukraine's emergency services noted.

The Kremlin's targeting of civilian infrastructure such as office buildings and parks was framed as a response to the explosion on the Kerch rail-and-road bridge linking Russia and Crimea over the weekend. The incident, which Moscow blamed on Ukraine's special forces, temporarily severed a major transport route between Russia and the peninsula it annexed in 2014.

"The ongoing developments are worrisome," Mao said Tuesday, as Ukrainian cities reported new missile strikes. "We call on relevant parties to find proper ways to address differences through dialogue and consultation."

Ravina Shamdasani, a spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office, said the Russian strikes "may have violated the principles of the conduct of hostilities under international humanitarian law."

The intentional targeting of civilians and civilian structures "amounts to a war crime," Shamdasani said.

The previous day, Mao declined four opportunities to elaborate on Beijing's view of the latest escalation, according to her exchange with Reuters. Each time, her answer followed a familiar line: a vague endorsement of UN principles and a reminder that Russia's grievances against NATO expansion should be taken seriously.

"China stands ready to continue to play a constructive part in deescalation efforts," Mao said, suggesting that Beijing's call for peace was in fact its contribution to ending the war.

Chinese diplomats have said a lot in the seven months since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, but the responses boil down to Mao's brief remarks this week.

Beijing has adopted a nominally neutral position on the conflict, but has backed the Kremlin in meaningful ways. It has wielded its veto powers at the UN Security Council in Russia's favor, and its propaganda organs have been directed heavily against the West and the U.S. to amplify the perception that Russia had been backed into a corner.

Xi Jinping's alignment with Vladimir Putin isn't without its limits, but his government's largely noncommittal posture is a conscious choice and suits the Kremlin, analysts say. It reflects Beijing's belief that the two authoritarian neighbors are stronger together, despite any reputational cost China may incur.

Other Chinese officials, however, are far less subtle when it comes to this balancing act. Following the missile strikes on Ukraine on Monday, Zhang Meifang, China's consul in Belfast, drew equivalence on Twitter to NATO-led air strikes in Libya in 2011, an intervention backed by the UN Security Council.

More significantly for Beijing's position on the Ukraine war, its anti-Western messaging happens outside China's own highly regulated internet environment, meaning the majority of Chinese citizens aren't privy to most of their government's controversial comments.