China presents ‘position paper’ on ending Russia’s war on Ukraine
Xi Jinping (Photo:REUTERS/Tingshu Wang)
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has published a position paper on the settlement of the war in Ukraine, in which Beijing warns against "using the world economy as a tool or weapon for political purposes."
The document was posted on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Feb. 24. In the paper, Beijing lays out the following points:
Abandoning the "Cold War mentality" and respecting the legitimate security interests of all countries.
"The security of a country should not be pursued at the expense of others. The security of a region should not be achieved by strengthening or expanding military blocs. The legitimate security interests and concerns of all countries must be taken seriously and addressed properly. There is no simple solution to a complex issue. All parties should, following the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security and bearing in mind the long-term peace and stability of the world, help forge a balanced, effective and sustainable European security architecture. All parties should oppose the pursuit of one’s own security at the cost of others’ security, prevent bloc confrontation, and work together for peace and stability on the Eurasian Continent."
Ceasing hostilities.
"Conflict and war benefit no one. All parties must stay rational and exercise restraint, avoid fanning the flames and aggravating tensions, and prevent the crisis from deteriorating further or even spiraling out of control. All parties should support Russia and Ukraine in working in the same direction and resuming direct dialogue as quickly as possible, so as to gradually deescalate the situation and ultimately reach a comprehensive ceasefire"
Resuming direct dialogue between Ukraine and Russia as soon as possible.
"Dialogue and negotiation are the only viable solution to the Ukraine crisis. All efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis must be encouraged and supported. The international community should stay committed to the right approach of promoting talks for peace, help parties to the conflict open the door to a political settlement as soon as possible, and create conditions and platforms for the resumption of negotiation. China will continue to play a constructive role in this regard."
Resolving the humanitarian crisis.
"All measures conducive to easing the humanitarian crisis must be encouraged and supported. Humanitarian operations should follow the principles of neutrality and impartiality, and humanitarian issues should not be politicized."
Protecting civilians and prisoners of war.
"Parties to the conflict should strictly abide by international humanitarian law, avoid attacking civilians or civilian facilities, protect women, children and other victims of the conflict, and respect the basic rights of POWs. China supports the exchange of POWs between Russia and Ukraine, and calls on all parties to create more favorable conditions for this purpose."
Maintaining the safety of nuclear power plants.
"China opposes armed attacks against nuclear power plants or other peaceful nuclear facilities, and calls on all parties to comply with international law including the Convention on Nuclear Safety (CNS) and resolutely avoid man-made nuclear accidents. China supports the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in playing a constructive role in promoting the safety and security of peaceful nuclear facilities."
Counteracting the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons.
“Nuclear weapons must not be used and nuclear wars must not be fought. The threat or use of nuclear weapons should be opposed. Nuclear proliferation must be prevented and nuclear crisis avoided.”
Facilitating grain exports.
"All parties need to implement the Black Sea Grain Initiative signed by Russia, Türkiye, Ukraine and the UN fully and effectively in a balanced manner, and support the UN in playing an important role in this regard. The cooperation initiative on global food security proposed by China provides a feasible solution to the global food crisis."
Stopping unilateral sanctions.
"Unilateral sanctions and maximum pressure cannot solve the issue; they only create new problems. China opposes unilateral sanctions unauthorized by the UN Security Council."
Maintaining the stability of industrial and supply chains.
"All parties should earnestly maintain the existing world economic system and oppose using the world economy as a tool or weapon for political purposes.”
Promoting "post-conflict reconstruction".
“The international community needs to take measures to support post-conflict reconstruction in conflict zones. China stands ready to provide assistance and play a constructive role in this endeavor.”
According to him, the document would contain, among other things, positions on the need to respect Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty.
According to Bloomberg, China's "peace plan" for Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine might contain calls to stop supplying weapons to Ukrainian defenders.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that China's top diplomat Wang Yi had shared with him the main points of the "peace plan", but Kyiv is waiting for the entire text of the document.
China refrains from criticizing Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine and claims that it is taking an "objective and fair position".
In early January, the Financial Times quoted five senior officials as saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin had not warned China of his plans for a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. One of the officials said that Putin had come closest to informing Xi Jinping, saying that Russia "does not rule out taking any possible measures if there is an attack on Russian territory."
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