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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke with his Italian and French counterparts on Thursday about the situation in Ukraine.
As Chinese President Xi Jinping and Wang Yi have said, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations must be respected. Toss
He said his country was strengthening cooperation with various parties and would continue to play a constructive role in resolving the crisis through peaceful negotiations.
Wang Yi noted that Russia and Ukraine have held three rounds of talks, and although there are still obvious differences between the two sides, hope for peace will increase during each round. He pointed out that the international community would continue to encourage and support the Russia-Ukraine talks and create the necessary conditions for it.
The DPA said on Friday that Chinese Premier Li Keqiang had also called for Ukraine to be detained in the conflict to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe, the Agerpres said.
Although he called the situation “really worrisome”, Li avoided criticizing the Russian invasion at a press conference in Beijing at the end of the annual session of the Chinese People’s Congress (CPPC) on Friday.
“We sincerely hope the situation calms down and peace returns soon,” Li said. It is important now that Russia and Ukraine support each other in their negotiations, the Prime Minister added.
“We support and encourage all efforts to bring about a peaceful solution to the crisis,” he said.
He called for control, saying it was important to avoid a cycle of tensions or get them out of control.
The Chinese prime minister also spoke out against international sanctions on Russia.
“Relevant sanctions will hurt the recovery of the world economy. It is not in anyone’s interest,” he said.
Diplomats and experts have stressed that China is not really ready to mediate between Russia and Ukraine.
“No, not for a second,” said Jude Blanchett, a Chinese expert at the Center for Strategic Studies (CSIS). “China is not a neutral party. Its support for Moscow is going to be implicit,” he added.
Chinese officials also made it clear at the conference that China wants to stay out of the conflict.
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