The Chinese government has denied any involvement in the participation of Chinese citizens in Russiaʼs war against Ukraine. They are verifying information about the prisoners and will assess their actions in the context of current Chinese legislation.
This is stated in a statement by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian.
The day before, on April 14, a press conference was held by two captured Chinese who fought on the side of the Russian Federation. Wang Guangjun, born in 1991, and Chang Renbo, born in 1998, said that they want to return home, agree to an exchange, and hope that China will facilitate this.
At a press conference, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said that the Chinese government has repeatedly issued security warnings urging citizens to avoid armed conflict zones and not participate in military actions on any side.
"The Chinese side will consider the behavior of individual Chinese citizens abroad in accordance with current legislation and take necessary consular and other actions," he said.
According to him, Chinaʼs position on the "Ukrainian crisis" is consistent and clear and consists of promoting peace negotiations to end the conflict.
What preceded
Volodymyr Zelensky said on April 8 that two Chinese citizens who fought as part of the Russian army were captured in the Donetsk region.
The Presidentʼs Office noted that Ukrainian defenders engaged in battle with six Chinese soldiers near the settlements of Tarasivka and Bilogorivka in the Donetsk region.
This was the first publicly known case of the participation of Chinese military personnel in the war against Ukraine on the side of the Russian Federation.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry summoned the Chinese chargé dʼaffaires, demanding an explanation for the participation of citizens of that country in the war.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said it was “checking the information with the Ukrainian side”. The Foreign Ministry stressed that the Chinese government has always asked its citizens to “stay away from armed conflict zones” and avoid any participation in hostilities or conflicts.
Zelensky stressed that Ukrainian special services have information that the Russian army includes at least 155 Chinese citizens. Ukrainian intelligence has their documents.
The president said that the Russian Federation is recruiting Chinese people through TikTok and social networks. According to him, official Beijing knows that the Russian Federation is recruiting Chinese citizens on social networks. At a press conference, the information about advertising on social networks with a call to join the Russian army was confirmed by the prisoners themselves.
In Russia, Chinese soldiers are given 3-4 days for a medical examination and 1-2 months for training. Then they fight on the territory of Ukraine.
- Since the beginning of Russiaʼs full-scale invasion, China has never publicly supported Ukraine. Beijing has supported Moscow and condemned sanctions against it.
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