The Impact of Western Sanctions Policy on China’s Perception of Russia

This article examines how Russia has been perceived in China in the context of Western sanctions imposed following the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis. The analysis is based on a comparison of official diplomatic rheto-ric from Chinese leadership and academic interpretations published between 2022 and 2025. The findings indicate that Russia continues to be framed as a strategic partner in China’s foreign policy discourse, especially amid increasing global instability. At the same time, Chinese diplomatic language has evolved toward a more pragmatic and institutionalized tone. In the academic community, support for deeper China–Russia coopera-tion remains dominant, though it is often accompanied by calls for caution, manageability, a non-aligned framework, and alignment with China’s core national interests. The study concludes that the contemporary Chinese perception of Russia reflects a balance between strategic pragmatism, diplomatic flexibility, and the pursuit of autonomous foreign policy under conditions of global transformation.