Even though China has claimed to hold a neutral position in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, a report has emerged about a Chinese journalist getting access to the Russian army in a bid to counter the information war against the Western media.
According to UK newspaper Telegraph, a journalist working for a state-owned Chinese broadcaster has been reporting freely from Russian-captured cities in Ukraine, holding interviews with the Russian soldiers and capturing footage of where the troops are stationed.
From landing an exclusive interview with Denis Pushilin, the head of the breakaway Donetsk People’s Republic, or talking to Russian soldiers, journalist Lu Yuguang has been pushing Kremlin’s views as most of the Russian news channels and agencies have been banned as part of the sanctions by the West, reports the newspaper.
Moscow describes its actions in Ukraine as a “special military operation” to disarm its neighbour and unseat leaders it calls neo-Nazis, while the Western media calls it an “invasion”.
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China also refuses to term the act as “invasion” and even issued directives to state media explicitly stating that reports must not criticise Russia or use the word.
Government officials have also reiterated that Beijing supports its ‘no-limits’ friendship with Russia.
This was reflected in Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s remarks earlier this week where he described China’s relationship with Russia as “rock solid and the prospects for cooperation between the two sides are very broad.”
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“No matter how sinister the international situation is, both China and Russia will maintain their strategic resolve and keep pushing forward the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination in the new era,” Mr Wang said.
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(With inputs from agencies)
