China has begun to “develop” the territories of Ukraine occupied by Russia

China not only maintains active political contacts with the Russians, but is also preparing to plunder Ukraine. In particular, the so-called “private business” of the Chinese has begun to actively “enter” the temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories, which are currently under the control of the Russian regime. At least a dozen private Chinese companies are now actively cooperating with enterprises in the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions (including those under sanctions), supplying them with industrial equipment, and rebuilding destroyed factories.

Representatives of Chinese business understand perfectly well what they are doing, but it seems that they are confident that they will go unpunished. “Private businessmen” would not have risked so blatantly violating international law if the Communist Party of China had not allowed them to do so.

In particular, judging by open sources, including Russian propaganda publications and messages from the occupation administrations, Chinese companies have launched active activities in the occupied territories of Ukraine. Chinese businessmen from various fields – from energy and agricultural infrastructure to light industry – travel to the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, create joint ventures with Russians there, and try to attract local workers.

“Currently, the Russians do not have enough money to develop the occupied Ukrainian lands. Therefore, the Kremlin is trying to involve Chinese companies in investing in the occupied regions of Ukraine,” said Pavlo Lysyansky, director of the Institute for Strategic Studies and Security.

Since the spring of 2023, enterprises from the occupied parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions have been presented at the so-called “Canton Fair” in Guangzhou, China. At the same time, Russian henchman Artem Zhikharev, “advisor to the general director of the” occupation “state company “Nadra” from the so-called “DPR”, visited mining equipment factories in Beijing, Zhengzhou, Jinan and Taiyuan. And already in 2024, the Chinese company Liming Heavy Industry Science & Technology, in violation of sanctions, supplied a number of types of industrial equipment to the company “Nadra” – in particular, stationary crushing plants, vibrating feeders and additional equipment. The publication notes that this is not the only example of the Chinese helping the Russians rebuild industry in Donbas. Worse, China has set its sights on Ukrainian resources, in particular on coal. Businessmen from China supplied equipment for the mines captured by the Russians in Torez, Snizhne and Khrestovka. In addition, the Russians are trying to “integrate” the temporarily occupied territories into the international transport corridor “Europe – Western China”: there is an opinion that the Rostov-on-Don – Mariupol – Melitopol – Simferopol highway, which the Russians are actively building, will become part of this path.

Also, contacts between Chinese representatives of the Communist Party and representatives of the occupation administrations are held at a fairly high level. The Chinese are willing to accept people who are under sanctions from the civilized world and under investigation in Ukraine. One of those involved in helping the Russians, according to the publication, is Wang Dongtao, assistant to the general director, secretary of the party center and general director of the investment and financing department of Heilongjiang Construction Investment Group.

In the first half of 2023, the goods stolen by the Russians from the occupied areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions were exported, including to China. In addition to China, the stolen goods were bought by Turkey, Syria, Belarus, Kazakhstan and the unrecognized “Republic of Abkhazia”. At the same time, in 2023, 60% of imports to the occupied part of Luhansk Oblast were made up of Chinese goods.

The Russians are unable to rebuild the destroyed Donbas on their own, so they are trying to attract Chinese investors and manufacturers there. In addition, by involving China in this adventure, the Kremlin plans to interest Chinese business in ensuring that the occupied territories remain under the control of the Russian regime.

“The Kremlin is offering some favorable conditions to Beijing, to Chinese business in the occupied territories. And the PRC in response is promoting the thesis through all diplomatic channels that the occupied part should remain under the control of the Russian Federation. In essence, this is a business lobbying technique, but precisely to legalize Putin’s military aggression at the international level,” political scientist Petro Oleschuk concluded.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyі recently said that if US President Donald Trump and European allies do not want China, North Korea, Iran and other henchmen of the Kremlin resident to seize Ukrainian resources, they must stop the aggressor and protect central Ukraine, which is very rich in resources. Kyiv is not going to simply give away minerals even to partners – only on the terms of cooperation. China played a key role in Russia’s war against Ukraine, said former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Despite public statements, in 2023 90% of imported microelectronics came to the Russian Federation from China. And the United States has repeatedly said publicly that China is not taking a neutral position in the war against Ukraine, as Beijing claims. In fact, China has chosen the side of Vladimir Putin in the war, whom it is helping.