China has effectively stopped hiding its attitude toward Crimea. Instead of maintaining a narrative of “neutrality,” Beijing’s actions increasingly speak louder than any diplomatic formula.
Chinese Ships Docking in Sevastopol
In the summer of 2025, the container vessel Heng Yang 9 from Guangxi Changhai Shipping Company made three visits to Sevastopol, according to the Financial Times. Previously, Chinese shipping companies had avoided Crimean ports for fear of sanctions. However, the launch of a new railway has now integrated the peninsula into Russia’s container transport system.
Tourism Initiatives Targeting Chinese Visitors
Crimea is simultaneously working to attract Chinese tourists. The Ministry of Resorts and Tourism has launched a full-scale portal in Mandarin, promoting beaches, wines, and landmarks of the peninsula — marketed there as the “Russian pearl of the Black Sea.”
Since September 2025, a visa-free regime has been in effect: Russians, including Crimean residents, can now travel to China without additional bureaucracy. Even earlier, Chinese authorities accepted passports issued in Kuban with places of birth listed as Crimea or Sevastopol, allowing Crimeans to enter China without obstacles.
Diplomatic Signals
Diplomatic voices from Beijing are also increasingly clear. Lu Shaye, China’s ambassador to France, told a French TV channel that Crimea has “Russian historical roots.” At the United Nations, China has consistently abstained from voting for resolutions labeling Crimea’s accession to Russia as an “annexation.” None of the attempts to enshrine Ukraine’s claim over Crimea in UN resolutions has ever won China’s support.
Economic and Media Support
Economic moves confirm the same trajectory. As Washington Post reported, back in 2023, the China Railway Construction Corporation expressed readiness to build “projects of any complexity” in Crimea. State-run media such as Xinhua and Global Times increasingly describe Crimea as a Russian region, stressing its “economic stability” and portraying the Crimean Bridge as a symbol of a new era.
Beijing’s De Facto Recognition
Taken together, these developments leave little doubt: China already treats Crimea as Russian — through shipping and containers, tourism and investment, diplomacy and state media narratives. A representative of a Chinese state outlet summed it up during the BRICS summit with an old proverb:
“What is written on paper is nothing compared to what is confirmed by deeds.”
Formal legal recognition may only be a matter of time. In return, Moscow continues to give Beijing unequivocal backing on the issue of Taiwan.
