Sino-Russian ties are “necessary” in an increasingly “unstable world,” says new Chinese foreign minister | Abroad

China’s new foreign minister Qin Gang said strong ties between China and Russia are “necessary” in an increasingly “unstable world”. He said this during a press conference on China’s foreign policy on Tuesday. In addition, he said Beijing and Moscow pose no threat to other countries.

During the press conference, the Chinese minister made some statements about the war in Ukraine. Qin Gang stated that “the process of peace talks should start as soon as possible” between Ukraine and Russia. Sanctions and pressure will not solve the problem. The situation has reached a critical point, he said.

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“Either hostilities end and peace is restored and the process of political settlement begins, or more fuel is added to the fire and the crisis spreads and spirals out of control,” said Qin Gang. Beijing has so far avoided speaking of an “invasion” and acknowledging the real nature of the conflict.

Arms delivery Russia

He also spoke of China’s possible future military aid to Russia. He equated it with the arms supply from the United States to Taiwan. “Why is the US asking China not to supply arms to Russia when it continues to sell arms to Taiwan?”

According to him, it is “absurd” that the “senior US officials” are interfering in the Taiwan issue. He underlined that it is a “business of the Chinese people”. “No other country has the right to interfere,” he said.

The US has long feared Chinese arms shipments to Russia. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned China that arming Moscow’s troops will not be appreciated by other countries. “China cannot have it both ways when it comes to Russian aggression in Ukraine. It cannot make peace proposals on the one hand and feed the fire that Russia has started on the other,” Blinken said.

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Antony Blinken © REUTERS

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