China's stance in Russian-Ukraine conflict: ideational-security framework

The paper applies an ideationalist-security perspective to analyze China's official foreign policy rhetoric toward Russia within the framework of the Ukrainian crisis. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the global community is anxious about the position China holds in the conflict. This chapter thus provides an in-depth analysis of China’s official rhetoric towards Russia. The main argument of this paper is that China’s position in the Russian-Ukrainian war is a decisive factor in defining China’s role in the international system. From an ideationalist-security perspective, China’s discourse on the conflict can have a substantial effect on the course of the conflict and on the global order. In other words, China’s position on the Russian invasion, as reflected in the discourse, can challenge the current global order and thus also raise questions about the sustainability of the international system. Ideationalist security literature has neglected China’s distinct political framework.