Why China supported Russia in UN dispute over Nord Stream gas pipeline explosions

China’s top leadership vowed to deepen ties with Russia to counter Western pressure ahead of third Putin-Xi meeting since May

China backed Russia in a dispute against the US-led West on Friday as the United Nations Security Council debated accountability for the 2022 explosions at the Nord Stream gas pipelines.

That support coincided with promises from Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is due to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin this month, and China’s top diplomat Wang Yi to deepen ties with Moscow to counter Western pressure. Geng Shuang, China’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, expressed Beijing’s disappointment at the lack of progress in investigating the explosions at the Nord Stream oil pipeline in the Baltic Sea that occurred two years ago.

The Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 undersea pipelines, which transport natural gas from Russia to Germany, were seriously damaged on September 26, 2022, seven months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Echoing the Russian representative to the UN, who had requested the council session, Geng called on member states to “actively communicate and cooperate” with Moscow and avoid double standards or politicization of the investigation.

“Regrettably, we have not yet reached a definitive conclusion,” he said, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua. Geng also questioned: “Was there a hidden agenda in the initial opposition to an international investigation? Has evidence been covered up or destroyed in the last two years? When will the trust we gave be rewarded with the truth about what happened?”

Initially, American and European officials blamed Russia for the explosions, while Putin accused the United States, Britain and Ukraine without providing evidence. The Wall Street Journal reported in August that the pipelines were sabotaged by a Ukrainian team in an operation that was initially approved by President Volodymyr Zelensky but went ahead even after it was canceled. Kiev denied these allegations.

Russia called for an independent investigation into the incident last year, but its proposal, supported by China and Brazil, was blocked in the UN Council. During the council meeting on Friday, representatives from Russia, the US and France clashed, with Moscow alleging an “apparent cover-up” by Western countries.

In recent months, the US and its NATO allies have stepped up pressure on China over Russia’s war in Ukraine, applying sanctions and accusing Beijing of being a “decisive enabler” with its significant support for Putin’s war effort. However, China has accelerated efforts to strengthen its “boundless” partnership with Moscow, with the two countries preparing for the third meeting between Xi and Putin since May.

Xi is expected to meet Putin during the BRICS emerging economies summit on October 22-24 in Kazan, western Russia. On Wednesday, Xi and Putin exchanged congratulatory messages to mark the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Xi stated that China is “ready to join Putin in expanding all-round pragmatic cooperation,” while Putin highlighted that bilateral ties have reached their highest level ever.

Putin also stated that both countries “coordinated efficiently in international and regional affairs, and worked together to build a fair multipolar world order.” In recent weeks, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Vice President Han Zheng and Foreign Minister Wang Yi have visited Russia and met with Putin.

The two countries held large-scale naval exercises last month, with Xinhua highlighting that the exercises were aimed at deepening “strategic coordination” between Chinese and Russian military forces. In an article published in the Chinese Communist Party’s official newspaper People’s Daily, Wang praised bilateral ties for having “weathered storms” and become “more mature, stable and resilient.” He also highlighted China’s opposition to “hegemonism” and “illegal unilateral sanctions”.

Wang emphasized that regardless of changes in the international situation, the core of China-Russia relations would remain unchanged. His comments came just days after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov issued a nuclear warning at the UN General Assembly in New York, warning of the dangers of inflicting a “strategic defeat” on Russia.

Lavrov warned that US and UK efforts to support Ukraine were setting Europe up for a “suicidal undertaking”, highlighting the risk of a confrontation with a nuclear power like Russia.