A large part of the Chinese population supports Moscow. However, more and more Chinese want Kyiv to defeat the enemy, as Ambassador of Ukraine to China Pavlo Riabikin told RBC-Ukraine.
"Speaking about Chinese sentiments and understanding of the reasons for Russia's invasion of Ukraine, I would not say that everyone in China believes that Ukraine or NATO was provoking Russia. More and more Chinese are drawing their conclusions and want to defeat the aggressor," Riabikin said.
At the same time, he admitted that there are many who "despite the obvious facts, support Russia."
According to the Democracy Perception Index 2024, China takes second place among countries worldwide reacting negatively to the US, EU, and NATO's assistance to Ukraine. In China, 37% of respondents say that "too much" has been done to help Ukraine.
Because Beijing supports Moscow, Ukrainians perceive China as a hostile country. According to a survey by the Razumkov Center, Ukrainians have a predominantly negative attitude toward six countries. Ukrainians have the worst attitudes toward Russia (-93%) and its allies Belarus (-80%), Iran (-72%), and China (-54%).