Hong Kong (CNN) China has reiterated its calls for a political solution to the Ukraine conflict on the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion, as Beijing comes under increasing pressure from the United States and its allies over its growing partnership with Moscow.
In a newly released position paper on Friday, China’s foreign ministry called for a resumption of peace talks, an end to unilateral sanctions and stressed its opposition to the use of nuclear weapons — a stance shared with Western leaders by Chinese leader Xi Jinping last year.
The 12-point document is part of Beijing’s latest effort to present itself as a neutral peace broker as it struggles to reconcile its “unlimited” relationship with Moscow and fragile ties with the West as the war drags on.
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Wang Yi, a member of the Chinese Communist Party’s Politburo, in Moscow February 22, 2022.
“Conflict and war benefit no one. All parties must remain rational and exercise restraint, avoid fanning the flames and heightening tensions, and prevent the crisis from worsening or even spiraling out of control,” the newspaper said.
Beijing’s claim to neutrality has been seriously undermined by its refusal to recognize the nature of the conflict – it has so far avoided calling it an “invasion” – and its diplomatic and economic support for Moscow.
Western officials have also raised concerns that China may consider providing lethal military aid to Russia, an accusation denied by Beijing.
The paper reiterated many of China’s existing political positions, including urging both sides to resume peace talks. “Dialogue and negotiations are the only viable solution to the Ukraine crisis,” it said, adding that China would play a “constructive role,” without giving details.
Despite asserting that “the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries must be effectively safeguarded,” the document failed to recognize Russia’s violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty.
And in a thinly veiled criticism of the US, the newspaper said the “Cold War mentality” should be abandoned.
“A region’s security should not be achieved by strengthening or expanding military blocs. The legitimate security interests and concerns of all countries must be taken seriously and addressed appropriately,” she said, apparently echoing Moscow’s view that blames the West for provoking the war by NATO enlargement.
It also appeared to criticize the sweeping economic sanctions imposed on Russia by the US and other Western countries. “Unilateral sanctions and maximum pressure cannot solve the problem, they only create new problems,” it said. “Relevant countries should stop abusing unilateral sanctions and ‘long-armed jurisdiction’ against other countries to do their part in de-escalating the Ukraine crisis.”
The paper was quickly criticized by American officials, with US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan saying the war “could end tomorrow if Russia stops attacking Ukraine and withdraws its forces”.
“My first reaction to that is that it could stop at point one, which is respecting the sovereignty of all nations,” Sullivan told CNN. “Ukraine did not attack Russia. NATO did not attack Russia. The United States did not attack Russia.
In Beijing, European Union Ambassador to China Jorge Toledo told reporters at a briefing that China’s position paper was not a peace proposal, adding that the EU was “studying the paper closely,” according to Portal.
Ukraine, meanwhile, called the position paper “a good sign” but urged China to do more.
“China should do everything in its power to end the war and restore peace in Ukraine, and urge Russia to withdraw its troops,” Ukrainian Charge d’Affaires for China Zhanna Leshchynska said at the same briefing in Beijing.
“In neutrality, China should talk to both sides: Russia and Ukraine, and now we can see that China is not talking to Ukraine,” she said, noting that Kyiv was not consulted before the paper’s release.
The position paper was first discussed by top diplomat Wang Yi at a security conference in Munich last week, when he tried to portray Beijing as a responsible negotiating partner for peace during a diplomatic charm offensive in Europe.
Wang visited Moscow as the last stop on his European tour and met with Putin on Wednesday.
Putin, who greeted Wang with outstretched arms as the Chinese diplomat entered the briefing room, said Russia-China relations were reaching “new milestones”.
“Russian-Chinese relations are developing as we had planned for the past few years. Everything is moving forward and developing,” Putin told reporters while sitting next to Wang. “Cooperation at the international level between the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China, as we have repeatedly said, is very important for stabilizing the international situation.”
Wang said the two countries “often face crises and chaos, but there are always opportunities in a crisis.”
“This requires that we recognize changes more voluntarily and respond to the changes more actively to further strengthen our comprehensive strategic partnership,” Wang said.
CNN’s Beijing bureau and Jake Kwon contributed to the coverage.