China Prevented Transfer Of Polish MiG-29 Fighter Jets To Ukraine; Kept Russia Away From Nuclear Escalation

Eurasian Times, Tanmay Kadam November 25, 2022

Chinaa allegedly prevented the transfer of Polish MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine through secret back-channel talks with Washington. The Chinese intervention caused the US to reject Poland’s offer to hand over its MiG-29 fighters to a US airbase for use by Ukrainian Air Force.

Beijing is playing a critical behind-the-scenes role in managing the fallout of the ongoing Ukraine crisis even though publicly it has maintained a low profile, according to the latest revelations made by a British journalist, Owen Matthews, who writes about Russia for ‘The Spectator,’ a UK-based weekly magazine.

China’s actual position on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war has been difficult to discern. So far, Beijing has only offered diplomatic and informational support to Moscow, as part of which it has regularly accused the US of brewing tensions with Russia.

In October, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, that “China will also firmly support the Russian side, under the leadership of President Putin, to unite and lead the Russian people,” according to China’s state-owned media.

Furthermore, Wang promised to deepen contacts with the Russian side at all levels.

At the same time, China has refrained from providing any significant military assistance to Russia’s war effort in Ukraine, forcing Moscow to turn to Iran to acquire combat drones. Recent reports suggest that Russia could even buy missiles from Iran.

In September, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Wang told NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg that China “stays open-minded to dialogues and exchanges with NATO and is willing to promote the sound and steady development of bilateral relations jointly.”

China Wants To Avoid Nuclear Escalation

According to Matthews, who cites a source close to officials of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA), Beijing’s key priority is for the Russia-NATO confrontation to “avoid any nuclear escalation and to help reach a ceasefire.”

This was witnessed during the recent G20 summit in Bali, where Chinese President Xi Jinping said that the world “needs to prevent a nuclear crisis on the Eurasian continent” in a meeting with his US counterpart Joe Biden, marking a rare instance of public agreement between the US and China over Russia.

President Xi also appealed publicly for a “return to diplomacy and stressing the urgency in finding a peaceful resolution.”

Therefore, according to Matthews, Poland’s offer of supplying Ukraine with its entire fleet of MiG-29 fighter jets in March was a cause of concern for the Chinese, as it threatened significant tensions between NATO and Russia…………………………..

Initial reports in March indicated that the US was positively considering Poland’s proposal to send its MiG-29s to Ukraine in return for advanced US-made F-16s. However, the Pentagon later rejected Poland’s surprise statement that it would hand over its MiG-29 fighter jets to a US airbase for use by Ukraine.

How China Changed Washington’s Mind?

According to Matthews, an “urgent and confidential back-channel initiative” involved former European leaders and senior officials and was backed by the Chinese, which changed Washington’s mind……………… https://eurasiantimes.com/china-transfer-of-polands-mig-29-fighter/