IRIA News

Chinese President Xi Jinping urged Russia and Ukraine to solve the ongoing conflict through negotiations during a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 25.

The leaders of China and Russia discussed the situation in Ukraine and Xi told Putin that China’s position on the Ukraine issue is based on the merits of the matter concerned.

During the phone talks with Xi, the Russian president said that his country is “ready to conduct high-level negotiations with the Ukrainian side”. However, Putin emphasized that the United States and NATO have long ignored Russia’s legitimate security concerns and increased military deployments near Russian borders, which challenged Russia’s strategic bottom line.

Chinese president highlighted that “China is ready to work with all parties in the international community to promote common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security and firmly uphold the UN-centered international system and the international order underpinned by international law.”

Separately on February 25, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said during a media briefing that China recognizes that “the Ukraine issue has a complex and special historical context” and Beijing understands Moscow’s “legitimate concerns on security issues”. However, Wang added that “China maintains that all should discard the Cold War mentality and eventually put in place a balanced, effective and sustainable European security mechanism through dialogue and negotiation.”

Wang stressed that “Ukraine is for sure a sovereign country. China’s position on the Ukraine issue is consistent and unchanged.” He also added that the “sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries should be respected and upheld. The purposes and principles of the UN Charter should also be jointly upheld. This is a principle China always follows and a basic norm governing international relations that all countries should adhere to.”

On February 25, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi also held phone conversations with the UK Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, and Diplomatic Advisor to the French President Emmanuel Bonne.

During the talks, the officials discussed the ongoing situation in Ukraine and Wang outlined China’s basic position on the Ukraine issue.

China’s five points position on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine:

1. China firmly believes that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries should be respected and protected and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter abided by in real earnest. This position of China is consistent and clear-cut, and applies equally to the Ukraine issue.

2. China advocates common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security. China believes that the security of one country should not come at the expense of the security of other countries, still less should regional security be guaranteed by strengthening or even expanding military blocs. The legitimate security concerns of all countries should be respected. Given NATO’s five consecutive rounds of eastward expansion, Russia’s legitimate security demands ought to be taken seriously and properly addressed.

3. China has been following the developments of the Ukraine issue closely. The current situation is not what we want to see. The top priority now is for all parties to exercise the necessary restraint to prevent the current situation in Ukraine from getting worse or even getting out of control. The life and property safety of civilians should be effectively guaranteed, and large-scale humanitarian crises, in particular, must be prevented.

4. China supports and encourages all diplomatic efforts conducive to a peaceful settlement of the Ukraine crisis. China welcomes the earliest possible direct dialogue and negotiation between Russia and Ukraine. The Ukraine issue has evolved in a complex historical context. Ukraine should function as a bridge between the East and the West, not a frontier in big power confrontation. China also supports equal-footed dialogue between the EU and Russia on European security issues, leading eventually to a balanced, effective and sustainable European security mechanism.

5. China believes that the UN Security Council should play a constructive role in resolving the Ukraine issue, and give priority to regional peace and stability and the universal security of all countries. Actions taken by the Security Council should help cool the situation and facilitate diplomatic resolution rather than fueling tensions and causing further escalation. In view of this, China has always disapproved of willfully invoking of UN Charter Chapter VII that authorizes the use of force and sanctions in UNSC resolutions.