SHANGHAI ¨C Chinese firms are staying put in Russia for the moment despite a growing exodus of Western companies ¡ª albeit bracing for growing uncertainty ¡ª taking a cue from Beijing¡¯s stance of refraining from criticizing Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.
Even as Apple, Nike, Netflix, H&M and many other Western companies have cut or paused business in Russia amid a tide of sanctions and international criticism of President Vladimir Putin¡¯s actions, Chinese firms so far have stayed largely silent about their operations in Russia.
The Chinese government, which struck a ¡°no limits¡± partnership accord with Russia just weeks before Moscow¡¯s Feb. 24 invasion, has blamed NATO expansion for the crisis and urged talks to resolve the situation. On social media, the Chinese public has shown overwhelming support for Russia¡¯s attack, which Moscow calls a ¡°special operation.¡±
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.