Ukraine peace formula summit helping to “consolidate international consensus” – China FM
Nation7 August 2023, 07:17 PM
The agency said that China's special representative for Eurasian affairs, Li Hui, actively communicated with all parties regarding the "political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis," in the terminology used by the Chinese communist party to describe the full-scale war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine.
"All parties responded positively to Li Hui's participation in the talks and fully supported China's positive role in promoting peace talks. He listened to the opinions and proposals of all parties and continued to [help] strengthen the international consensus," the ministry stated.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry promised that Beijing would continue to "strengthen dialogue on the basis of its 12-point peace plan and accumulate mutual trust."
Earlier, the FT reported that Ukraine's allies described China's participation in the Saudi Arabian summit as "constructive, and was positive about the idea of holding a third meeting at this level."
The peace summit in Saudia Arabia - What is known
Two days of negotiations on the Ukrainian peace formula took place in the city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Aug. 5-6.
Ukraine and its Western backers pitched the talks as an effort to rally global support behind appropriate conditions for ending the war, The Wall Street Journal reported on Aug. 6.
After the talks in Jeddah concluded, diplomats said there was broad acceptance that central principles of international law, like respect for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, should be at the heart of future peace talks between Ukraine and Russia.
In Jeddah, Ukraine and the major developing countries appeared determined to find a consensus. A senior European official said that Ukraine didn’t push again for its peace plan to be accepted and other countries weren’t insisting that Kyiv drop it. Nor was there any disagreement over Ukraine’s demand for the withdrawal of Russian troops.
There was agreement on pursuing more detailed work on the global impact of the war, and most countries attending, including China, appeared willing to meet again in the coming weeks in the current format, with Russia excluded, according to people involved in or briefed on the closed-door talks.
The biggest difference between the Copenhagen and Jeddah meetings was attendance – more than twice as many countries attended or dialed into talks on Aug. 5. That included European countries, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Turkey, and South Africa.
While no date has been set for a third meeting, there was agreement on a two-track process to move forward. Ukraine will continue discussions with foreign ambassadors in Kyiv on peace conditions.
At the same time, Saudi Arabia plans to propose a set of working groups for specific issues raised in the Ukrainian peace plan, some of which touch on the global impact of the war.