China today called on Russia and Ukraine to start peace talks as soon as possible. It also unequivocally rejected the use of nuclear weapons in the war: “Nuclear weapons must not be used and nuclear wars must not be fought,” the Chinese statement said. These and other comments are contained in a 12-point document on the “political settlement” of the crisis.
The document was published today, timed to coincide with the date of the Russian invasion of Ukraine exactly one year ago.
“All sides should support Russia and Ukraine to work in the same direction and resume direct dialogue as soon as possible,” said the document posted on China’s Foreign Ministry website. The main points, according to China, are aimed at gradual de-escalation to eventually reach a ceasefire.
The list of points that China presents includes countering sanctions that have not been approved by the United Nations Security Council. There should also be a ban on the development and use of biological weapons. In addition, China wants the safety of nuclear power plants to be guaranteed. According to China, the security of one country should not be at the expense of the security of other countries. Dialogue and negotiations are therefore the only way out of the Ukraine crisis, it believes.
Increasing Western pressure on China
The war is a sensitive issue for Beijing because of strong diplomatic and economic ties with Moscow, bolstered by a common interest in counterbalancing the US. China said earlier this week that it was “deeply concerned” about the conflict “escalating and spiraling out of control”.
Officially neutral, China calls for respect for the sovereignty of states, including Ukraine, while urging the international community to take Moscow’s security interests into account. However, Western pressure on China is increasing. For example, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently expressed concern that China is considering supplying arms to Russia.
According to the German weekly magazine Der Spiegel, Russia is already in talks with a Chinese drone manufacturer to buy 100 drones that should be delivered in April. The aircraft are said to be similar to Iran’s Shahed 136 drone, with which Russia launched numerous attacks on Ukraine, killing hundreds and damaging civilian infrastructure.
“Neutral party”
China wants to position itself as a neutral party while at the same time maintaining close ties with strategic ally Russia. Chinese diplomat Wang Yi met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and President Putin in Moscow on Wednesday. After his visit, Moscow said Beijing had expressed its view on how to approach a “political settlement” of the conflict.
Ukrainian President Zelensky said on Thursday he had not seen a Chinese peace plan and wanted to meet with Beijing on their proposal before reviewing it. “I think in general it’s a very good thing that China has started talking about Ukraine and sending some signals,” Zelensky said. “We will draw some conclusions after seeing the details of what they offer. We would like to meet with China.”
Read also: China deeply concerned that conflict in Ukraine could escalate “uncontrollably”.
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