Trump vows to end Ukraine war. What does that mean for China?

Some pundits say peace deal could ease Beijing’s tensions with EU, but mistrust remains over Russia ties, Taiwan and South China Sea

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Published: 6:00am, 29 Nov 2024Updated: 7:25am, 29 Nov 2024

As the war in Ukraine reached the 1,000-day mark last week, Ukrainian troops hit targets inside Russia with long-range missiles supplied by the US and Britain.

In response, Russia launched a ballistic missile at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro in a blitz that analysts say has intensified as Moscow and Kyiv have tried to seize the upper hand for future negotiations.

The prospect of talks has grown since Donald Trump, who has boasted of being able to end the war “within 24 hours”, won the US presidential election this month and prepares to return to the White House.

For China, the implications of a resolution to the conflict could be wide-ranging.

Throughout the war, China has claimed neutrality and sought to play the role of peacemaker – even as it has built strong ties and kept in regular communication with sanctions-hit and diplomatically isolated Russia.

That China-Russia connection has strained Beijing’s ties with Brussels, one of its major trading partners.

An end to the war in Ukraine could go some way to easing that pressure on China-EU relations and enable Chinese companies to return to the Russian market, some observers say. But others say the conflict has been a turning point in how the European Union views China and its ties with Russia, with only further tensions to come.