Backing Russia on Ukraine: China’s Messaging in Central and Eastern Europe

A new CHOICE briefing paper analyzes Chinese messaging on the war in Ukraine targeting nine NATO and EU member states in Central and Eastern Europe, i.e., Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Romania. The analysis focuses on the narratives promoted by local Chinese Embassies as well as Chinese state media.

While the level of activity of Chinese messaging on the Russian invasion in the surveyed countries differs, the Chinese narratives do not exhibit much flexibility in terms of adapting to local sensitivities. Such an approach, which targets NATO and the US as the perpetrators of the war, makes it difficult for China to find acceptance for its narratives in the region which sees NATO as the fundamental basis of its security.

Read the whole paper below to get specific insights about Chinese messaging on the Russian invasion in the respective countries.