Photo: Reuters
After weeks of staying in the dark amid the current European crisis, China finally took a stand.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said that China is ready to “work actively” with countries around the globe to mediate the battle in Ukraine; however, he did not provide specific details and only repeated that he is against Western sanctions on Russia.
According to a statement from the Foreign Ministry of China, Xi, in a video conference call with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron, said the affairs in Ukraine was “worrisome,” and Beijing was “deeply grieved by the outbreak of war again on the European continent.”
“China will stay in communication and coordination with France, Germany, and the EU and, in light of the needs of the parties involved, work actively together with the international community,” the statement continued, further saying that all attempts “conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis must be supported.”
Scholz and Macron stated their intentions to boost communication and coordination with China to stimulate peace negotiations further, said China’s Foreign Ministry.
Beijing and Moscow have a common interest in provoking the West. However, the recent attack on Ukraine has thrown their relationship into question.
Since the invasion, China has not denounced Russia outright or implemented any sanctions on Moscow. Yet it has not also hastened to aid Russia following its economic turmoil brought about by sanctions from several countries worldwide.
Experts say Beijing’s selection of decisions is narrow and that it fears the likelihood of secondary sanctions if it chooses to intervene on Russia’s side.
China has incessantly declined to call the attack on Ukraine a Russian invasion, and its officials have repeatedly cited NATO’s expansion towards the east as the main ground for strife, echoing a central Russian point.
Xi stressed the necessity to promote peace negotiations and urged the two parties to “keep the talks going and bring about peace outcomes,” according to the statement.
Meanwhile, Xi once again criticized the imposition of sanctions by the United States on the call, cautioning they will “dampen the global economy that is already ravaged by the pandemic.”
Opinions expressed by US Insider contributors are their own.
