China has called for a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine and a return to negotiations as Beijing seeks to position itself as a peacemaker in the conflict on the first anniversary of Russia’s all-out invasion.
However, Western leaders immediately questioned China’s motives, accusing Beijing of already siding with Russia in the war.
China’s Foreign Ministry on Friday released a 12-point paper outlining its position on a “political solution” to the war, though many of Beijing’s actions echoed earlier points of discussion.
Chinese diplomats have performed a difficult balancing act over the war, trying to appear neutral despite Beijing’s close ties with Moscow while simultaneously accusing Washington and NATO of provoking the conflict.
“Dialogue and negotiations are the only viable solution to the Ukraine crisis,” the State Department said in the document, which it did not directly describe as a war. “All efforts conducive to a peaceful solution to the crisis must be encouraged and supported.”
NATO and European Commission chiefs said the proposal was marred by Beijing’s failure to condemn the Russian invasion.
“Of course we will look at the principles, but we will look at them against the background that China has taken sides,” said Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. “This is not a peace plan.”
Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General, said: “China doesn’t have much credibility because it wasn’t able to condemn the illegal invasion of Ukraine.”
But Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said: “We very much welcome any constructive proposal that brings us closer to a fair and just peace.” He called on Beijing to work together with both Kiev and Moscow.
Beijing’s ceasefire plan is also unlikely to find support in Kiev until Russia withdraws from territories it occupies, an issue not addressed in the 12-point position paper.
Zhanna Leshchynska, chargé d’affaires at the Ukrainian embassy in Beijing, ruled out a ceasefire that would freeze the conflict along the current frontline.
“In our view, Russia should unconditionally withdraw all of its armed forces from Ukraine’s territory,” she told reporters in Beijing on Friday, adding that this signifies the country’s internationally recognized borders, which include Crimea.
Leshchynska said China should demonstrate its neutrality by urging Russia to withdraw its troops and increase cooperation with Ukraine. Chinese leader Xi Jinping has not called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy since the Russian invasion, but has spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin several times.
Shi Yinhong, a professor at Renmin University, said Beijing is probably aware that neither side will heed his proposal. “China feels [it] necessary to reiterate here its neutrality on the war in order to preserve some international clout by not only criticizing NATO but also differing from Russia’s behavior,” he said.
Wang Yi, China’s top diplomat, appeared to be making little progress on pushing through the proposals when he met Putin on Wednesday.
Beijing’s newspaper also warned against the use of nuclear weapons in the war and called for protection of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants. It also called for an end to sanctions not approved by the UN Security Council, a reference to penalties imposed by Western nations.
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The peace proposal follows claims by Washington that Beijing is considering sending arms and other deadly aid to Russia. A year into the conflict, neither side has a clear upper hand in a series of bloody skirmishes in eastern Ukraine, prompting some Chinese nationalists to increase aid to Russia.
Stoltenberg said there were “signs and indications that China is planning and considering providing military assistance to Russia,” but there was no evidence it had done so to date.
Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry, said Beijing “has always taken a responsible and prudent approach to military exports and does not offer arms deals to conflict zones or to warring factions. What we have done is promote peace talks.”
Hu Xijin, former editor of the Chinese nationalist tabloid Global Times, defended Beijing’s reluctance to provide direct military aid.
China has already provided the “biggest support to Russia’s sanctioned economy” by increasing imports of energy and food and keeping the flow of Chinese “electronics, cars and microprocessors,” Hu said this week.
Chinese customs data shows imports from its neighbor rose 43 percent to $114 billion last year as it increased purchases of Russian oil, gas and coal, while exports jumped 13 percent to $76 billion. dollars have gone up.
Additional reporting by Maiqi Ding and Nian Liu in Beijing
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