American force + threat of force + threat of a coup or a real coup against the local government = America gets its way.
Repeated over and over in the last 100 years.
And you make excuses for it.
Neither excuses nor condemnation of US foreign policy. Just trying to point out the silliness of arguing that Ukraine is somehow not a legitimate country.
We recognize it; China officially recognizes it; Russia even officially recognizes it; therefore it is.
The problem here is that Russia is trying to do to Ukraine effectively what we did with Panama and China desperately wants to prevent with respect to Taiwan.
Hence, my initial assertion that China has to tread lightly here.