China promises to present a peace initiative to end the war in Ukraine
- Author:
- Sofiia Telishevska
- Date:
The Chinese authorities for the first time called the hostilities in Ukraine a war and announced a “peace plan” that would help end it. The “peace” position document is promised to be made public by the end of February.
Wang Yi, chief adviser to Chinese President Xi Jinping, announced this at the Munich conference.
“On the anniversary of the full-scale invasion, we will publish a document with our position on the political solution to the Ukrainian crisis... Regarding the problem of Ukraine, we have one position — we support peace talks. We are on the side of peace and dialogue. This war cannot continue,” he stated.
According to him, Chinaʼs position is to respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all countries. He also added that Beijing will continue to work for peace.
“We can of course continue to voice our position at international conferences like this one, but I suggest that we also start thinking calmly, especially for my friends in Europe... We need to think about what efforts we can make, to put an end to this war,” added a top adviser to the Chinese president.
- On December 14, 2022, the American newspaper The Wall Street Journal wrote that Xi Jinping instructed his government to establish closer economic ties with Russia. Thus, the plan includes increasing Chinese imports of Russian oil, gas, and agricultural goods, expanding joint energy partnerships in the Arctic, and increasing Chinese investment in Russian infrastructure (railways and ports). Also, Russia and China now conduct more financial transactions in rubles and yuan than in euros or dollars, which helps protect them from future sanctions and ensure a wider circulation of the Chinese currency.
- China does not officially supply Russia with military aid and advocates the territorial integrity of Ukraine, but does not condemn Russiaʼs aggression. In July 2022, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said that the United States was to blame for Russiaʼs invasion of Ukraine.