Chinese Think Tank: "Western Sanctions on Russia Have Limited Impact... US Hegemony Weakening"

People's University RDCY Seminar... Long-term War Expected in Ukraine Conflict

A Chinese think tank has evaluated that Western sanctions against Russia have not been significantly effective and have instead resulted in the weakening of U.S. hegemony.

According to the Global Times (GT) of China on the 21st, the Renmin University Central Financial Research Institute (RDCY) released a report on the research conducted over the past two years and future prospects regarding the 'Russia-Ukraine conflict' at a seminar held that day. In the report, Wang Wen, director of RDCY, stated, "As a result of the research team visiting 21 Russian cities since 2022, we found that Russia was relatively less affected by Western sanctions," and added, "We concluded that Russia will not be defeated by the sanctions."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

He continued, "The most important conclusion drawn from our report is that the Russia-Ukraine conflict will be a long-term struggle," and explained, "Russia also cannot achieve a complete victory over Ukraine in the short term."

Furthermore, he argued, "This research outcome differs from the pessimistic outlook in 2022 when the West began comprehensive sanctions against Russia," and stated, "As Russia survives the sanctions, U.S. hegemony has weakened."

Ding Yifan, former deputy director of the World Development Research Institute under the State Council Development Research Center, said at the event, "Russia's experience in handling Western sanctions is very valuable for China, which must prepare for the worst-case scenario." GT elaborated that this refers to "a scenario where the U.S. someday harbors extreme hostility toward China and imposes comprehensive sanctions." Ding Yifan claimed, "Russia established a complete supply chain for normal economic operations to ensure that the daily lives of Russian citizens are not affected by the war and sanctions."

The RDCY report also emphasized that a major change in the international system following the 'Russia-Ukraine conflict' is that over the past two years, the West has weaponized trade and finance, weakening global supply chains and industrial networks. Ding Yifan explained, "Western sanctions have terrified many non-Western countries, including BRICS member states and major Middle Eastern countries, which is why many non-Western think tanks are researching ways to reduce dependence on the dollar and the U.S."

There is also a prospect that if former President Donald Trump becomes the next president, the U.S. might cut support for Ukraine. Ma Xiaolin, director of the Mediterranean Research Institute at Zhejiang International Studies University in China, said in an interview with the Global Times, "Former President Trump said he would resolve the Ukraine war in one day. While it is impossible for Russia to win in one day, it is certainly possible for the U.S. to abandon Ukraine (in one day)," and added, "If Trump returns to the White House, the likelihood of this happening is very high."