China has called for a ceasefire and has pushed for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine to begin this Friday, which coincides with the anniversary of the start of the Russian invasion. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has released a document expressing Beijing’s position on the political solution to the Ukraine crisis, reminding that “there are no winners in a war” and that the only way out is dialogue. The 12-point text reiterates some of the suggestions President Xi Jinping communicated earlier this year, such as that “the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries must be respected” and that “waging war with the nuclear power cannot taking place must be fought and can never be won.”
Since the beginning of the war on February 24, 2022, the Asian giant has kept a calculated equidistance in favor of its strategic partner Russia, with whom it certified “unlimited friendship” a few weeks before the start of the offensive. In those 365 days, China has avoided labeling the Russian invasion as such, blaming NATO, and particularly the United States, for really being responsible for the outbreak of the crisis for failing to address Moscow’s “legitimate security concerns.” . Under mounting pressure from Washington and Brussels, Beijing tried to present itself as a neutral mediator for peace this Friday, although it remains balanced. China has stressed that the only viable solution can be found through dialogue and negotiations, and has reiterated that the country will play a “constructive role” in this, although it has not given any details.
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Although the State Department text states that “the security of one country must not be compromised at the expense of that of another country,” it notes that “the legitimate interests and security concerns of all countries must be taken seriously and given due consideration.” The document emphasizes “abandoning the Cold War mentality” and, in a clear message to the Atlantic Alliance, reminds that “regional security cannot be guaranteed by strengthening or even expanding military blocs”. He has also called for stopping “unilateral sanctions” as they “will not solve problems but will create new ones”.
The European reaction was rather lukewarm. Diplomatic sources emphasize that the ideas introduced by Beijing are in line with international law, but warn that the Chinese proposal “does not identify or distinguish the aggressor (Russia) and the victim (Ukraine) and therefore lacks objective legitimacy.” It also notes that it represents an attempt by the Xi government to respond to growing international pressure to demonstrate its status as a great power and a responsible international actor. “Its credibility is further compromised by the fact that its release coincides with alleged Chinese intentions to supply weapons (drones) to Russia,” these sources conclude.
China’s position paper comes after the White House said this week it had detected “signs” that Beijing was considering providing “deadly” military aid to Moscow, which it has not done in the 12 months since the conflict. The German weekly Der Spiegel goes a step further and explains that the Russian military is in talks with Chinese drone maker Xi’an Bingo Intelligent Aviation Technology to mass-produce kamikaze drones for Russia.
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These allegations have been firmly denied by the Asian giant. On Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin reiterated that “the United States is the main supplier of weapons on the battlefield in Ukraine and still insists on discrediting China by making false allegations.” United Nations representative Dai Bing told the General Assembly that “the brutal facts provide the conclusive evidence that sending arms will not bring peace”.
nuclear weapons
In the plan released this morning, China reiterated its opposition to the use of nuclear weapons, attacks on nuclear power plants and the use of biochemical weapons, and called for ensuring the security of civilian nuclear facilities.
Citing analysts in the country, the outspokenly nationalist Global Times newspaper on Wednesday expected China to do whatever it takes to mediate the conflict, but added that “an effective peace plan will depend on both sides.” Because Kyiv is extremely influenced by Washington [el cual no tiene interés en que se produzca un alto al fuego inmediato y prefiere prolongar el conflicto para socavar a Moscú y cambiar el statu quo a la fuerza]It’s really difficult to imagine a formula that both parties can agree on.”
At an event held in Beijing this Friday to mark the anniversary of the start of the war, European Union Ambassador to China Jorge Toledo stated that the Asian giant “must fulfill its responsibilities to defend the United Nations Charter before Russian aggression. Toledo made these remarks in his speech to dozens of diplomats and journalists, stating that the position document was not in itself a peace proposal, but that the 27 would study it closely.
Ukraine, for its part, has said that this is a “good sign” but has indicated that further steps need to be taken. “China should do everything in its power to end the war and restore peace in Ukraine, and call on Russia to withdraw its troops,” Ukrainian chargé d’affaires in China Zhanna Leshchynska said at the same briefing. “To maintain neutrality, China should talk to both sides: Russia and Ukraine; At the moment, China is not talking to Ukraine,” said the Ukrainian diplomat, adding that Kyiv was not consulted before the document was released.
The top Chinese foreign policy official, Wang Yi, pushed for the release of the document at last weekend’s security conference in Munich to portray Beijing as a responsible negotiator during a European tour that will end in Moscow on Wednesday, where he met with Vladimir Putin . The head of foreign affairs of the Communist Party of China Central Committee (Security Advisor) called the current international situation “complicated and grim” but assured that “Sino-Russian relations are mature, strong and stable like Mount Tai.” “Crises happen all the time, but in crises there are opportunities, and opportunities also become crises. […] This requires us to recognize changes and respond more actively to further strengthen our comprehensive strategic partnership,” said Wang.
The People’s Daily, owned by the Communist Party, this Friday published an interview with Wang Yi about his recent European tour, in which he reiterated that his country “stands firmly for peace and dialogue, on the right side of history.” “China’s position is to promote peace negotiations. China supports Europe to play a more active and constructive role in promoting peace talks. Europe should think carefully about the conditions that can be created to achieve a ceasefire and an end to the conflict,” stressed the head of Chinese diplomacy.
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