点到为止：乌克兰问题上，中国立场并不模糊
Since the Ukraine conflict broke out, numerous criticisms have been made against China for not condemning Russia, or even for being an "accomplice". Some question the integrity of China's stance, despite Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba calling the Chinese role "constructive" during a recent phone call with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
乌克兰冲突爆发以来，有人批评中国没有谴责俄罗斯，甚至成了俄罗斯的“帮凶”。还有人质疑中国立场是否公正，虽然近期乌克兰外长库列巴在同中国国务委员兼外交部长王毅通话时表示：中国的作用是建设性的。
What is the Chinese position?
中方立场是什么？
On February 23, after Russia announced its decision on two regions in eastern Ukraine, China's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Zhang Jun remarked at a UN General Assembly meeting: "China's position on safeguarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states has been consistent. The purposes and principles of the UN Charter should be jointly upheld. "
2月23日俄罗斯宣布有关乌克兰东部两个地区的决定之后，中国常驻联合国代表张军大使在联合国大会上发言表示：“中国关于维护各国主权和领土完整的立场是一贯的，联合国宪章的宗旨和原则也应当得到共同维护”。
In his original Chinese text, these two sentences are actually one, linked by a comma. That means the two aspects should be taken as whole.
在他的中文原文里，这两层意思同属一句话，用逗号隔开，也就是说需要整体来理解。
How to understand the message?
我们该如何理解这一表态呢？
Well, history gives a clue. In the midst of the Ukraine crisis, China remembered a historic day: February 27, 1972, when a joint document was signed during U.S. President Richard Nixon's ice-breaking visit to China, the first by a U.S. President. The document, known as the Shanghai Communiqué, paved the way for normalization of bilateral ties.
历史可以提供一丝线索。世界关注乌克兰危机时，中国还纪念了一个历史性的日子。1972年2月27日，中美在上海签署了一份联合文件，当时美国总统尼克松正在对华展开“破冰之旅”，他是第一个踏上中国土地的美国总统。这份被称为“上海公报”的文件为中美关系正常化奠定了基础。
What was the magic?
秘方何在？
For the first time, the two sides agreed on common principles despite "essential differences", that countries "should conduct their relations on the principles of respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states, non-aggression against other states, non-interference in the internal affairs of other states, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence".
因为中美两国首次达成共识：尽管双方存在“本质的区别”，两国应该依据一些共同原则来处理双边关系，“尊重主权和领土完整，互不侵犯，互不干涉内政，平等互利，和平共处”。
These are the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, officially initiated by China, India, and Myanmar in June 1954.
这其实就是和平共处五项原则——由中国、印度和缅甸于1954年6月倡议提出。
Empty sounding to some, these words have been guiding China's foreign policy and are enshrined in China's Constitution. This open and inclusive concept has also been incorporated into UN declarations, and widely regarded as basic norms of international relations.
对有些人来说或显空洞，但该原则一直指导着中国外交，还被写入宪法。这个开放包容的概念还被联合国的有关宣言采纳，成为公认的国际关系基本准则。
In a 2014 speech, Chinese President Xi Jinping noted that the Five Principles are "integrated, interconnected and indivisible". That means they have to be taken as a whole, with peaceful coexistence as the ultimate goal. Last April, Chinese President Xi reaffirmed the status of this concept as the basis of China's diplomacy.
2014年中国国家主席习近平指出，这五个原则“相互联系、相辅相成、不可分割”，这意味着他们缺一不可，以和平共处为最终目标。2021年4月，习主席重申了这一概念对中国外交的基石作用。
How does that concept, then, guide China's position on the Ukraine issue?
那么在乌克兰问题上，和平共处五项原则怎样指导了中国立场？
A quick look at history reveals how the conflict has been a slow-motion train wreck for years.
简单回顾历史就能了解，多年来俄乌冲突是一个慢放的火车相撞事故。
Despite pledges by Western leaders, the eastward expansion of U.S.-led NATO and the positioning of potentially offensive weaponry closer to Russia's borders have been perceived by Russia as existential threats.
以美国为首的北约不顾西方领导人曾经的许诺，逐渐东扩，将可以被用来发动进攻的武器部署地离俄罗斯边境越来越近，俄罗斯认为这些行为危及其存亡。
Senior U.S. diplomats including George Kennan and Henry Kissinger had warned against the dangerous consequences. But people didn't listen.
乔治·凯南和亨利·基辛格等美国高级外交官都曾警告过这些举动会酿成大祸，但没人听得进去。
Meanwhile, Russia's behavior is also increasingly perceived by the West as hostile and irrational, fueled by its suspected weaponization of radioactive material and other tough measures. The level of mutual trust has kept dropping, as has the prospect of peaceful coexistence.
同时，俄罗斯的行为也愈发被西方解读为怀有敌意、失去理智，比如疑似用放射性物质下毒，还有其他一些强硬举动。双方互信不断降低，和平共处的可能性也越来越小
The U.S. may not see the Five Principles as universal, but it did sign up to the UN Charter, albeit following it only at will.
美国或许不认为和平共处五项原则普遍适用，但应该是认可联合国宪章的，当然只是在其方便的时候照办。
The Charter's ultimate purpose is "to maintain peace and security". It opens by opposing the "breach of peace" and calls for "effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace". Have all sides to the Ukrainian dispute upheld the Charter at all times?
联合国宪章的最终目的是“维持国际和平及安全”，其开篇就反对“和平之破坏”呼吁“采取有效集体办法，以防止且消除对于和平之威胁”，乌克兰争端各方自始至终都遵守联合国宪章了吗？
Although the conflict has escalated, China has not deviated from its initial position, which turns out to be similar to that of many other developing countries.
随着俄乌冲突加剧，中方立场并未转向，而且可以看出和不少发展中国家立场相近。
On March 2, the UN General Assembly voted on a resolution to deplore "in the strongest terms the aggression by Russian Federation against Ukraine".
联合国大会于3月2日进行投票表决通过决议，“最强烈地斥责俄罗斯联邦侵略乌克兰”。
Yes, 141 countries voted for this resolution, which sends a strong message. Yet 35 countries, including China, abstained, and five more voted against. Those 40 countries, mostly from Asia, Africa and Latin America, make up over half the world's population.
141个国家投出赞成票，信号明显。但包括中国在内的35个国家投了弃权票，5个国家投了反对票，这40个国家大多来自亚非拉地区囊括了超过半数的全球总人口。
The West's condemnation of Moscow is not universal, despite such assertions.
虽然有人想带节奏，西方对莫斯科的“谴责”不是国际社会的共识。
It was another coincidence that March 5 was the 124th birth anniversary of Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai, the first Chinese leader to shake hands with Nixon upon his arrival in China. Premier Zhou was also the Chinese face behind the concept of peaceful coexistence.
巧的是，2022年3月5日是中国前总理周恩来诞辰124周年，周总理是当年尼克松走下飞机时第一个迎接他的中国领导人，也是和平共处五项原则的中国象征。
As the conflict in Ukraine threatens to spiral out of control, his sage words and diplomatic style are more relevant today than ever before.
在乌克兰冲突可能失控之际，他的睿智和外交风度比以往更值得借鉴。
The principles were born in Asia, where traditional wisdom highlights tolerance and harmony. But they are not exclusively Asian values. Africa, for instance, has the shining example of Nelson Mandela.
和平共处五项原则诞生于以宽容与和谐为传统美德的亚洲，但这些智慧并非亚洲独有，比如非洲人纳尔逊·曼德拉就是这样的光辉榜样。
The famous philosopher Bertrand Russell once said: "In this world, which is getting more and more closely interconnected, we have to learn to tolerate each other. If we are to live together and not die together, we must learn a kind of charity and a kind of tolerance, which is absolutely vital to the continuation of human life on this planet."
著名哲学家伯特兰·罗素曾说过：“在这个日益紧密相连的世界我们必须学会容忍彼此，假如我们想要共存而非共亡，我们就必须学会这种宽容与忍让，因为这对于人类在这个星球上的存续是至关重要的”。
On the Ukraine issue, China's position is and will continue to be pro-peace, peace that's lasting and inclusive. That's the only way.
在乌克兰问题上，中国的立场是支持和平：持久、包容的和平。这一立场不会变，因为这是唯一可行的选项。