China’s embassy in Moscow strongly criticized Russian authorities for their alleged harsh treatment of Chinese citizens who were denied entry into the country. The embassy posted on WeChat, a popular Chinese social media platform, stating that Russia’s actions violated the legitimate rights of these citizens.
According to the embassy, five Chinese nationals were extensively questioned for four hours at a checkpoint when they tried to cross the Russia-Kazakhstan border on July 29. Their entry was ultimately denied, and their tourist visas were revoked. This criticism contrasts with the close friendship declared by Presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, as China refrained from condemning Russia’s Ukraine invasion and maintained strong economic ties.
The embassy stated that it had communicated with Russian authorities, including the Foreign Ministry, Federal Security Bureau, and Federal Border Guard Service, after reviewing a video provided by the individuals involved.
China’s embassy expressed concern that these actions contradicted the overall Sino-Russian friendship and the growing trend of friendly people-to-people exchanges.
Previously, Putin and Xi had declared there were no restrictions on cooperation between their nations in a joint statement before Russia’s Ukraine invasion.
The language used in the embassy’s post was more akin to protests against Western countries. The post demanded that Russia explain the incident, take active measures to address the negative impact, and ensure similar incidents do not happen again.
The embassy emphasized that Russia should further investigate the border guards’ conduct and provide a satisfactory response to China.
These remarks came shortly after a Chinese influencer, who had almost a million followers on Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok), posted a video describing his difficult experience at the Russia-Kazakhstan border checkpoint. He remarked on the depth of friendship between Russia and China.
