Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Moscow, June 24 (Xinhua) — China is acting as a “peace broker” in the Ukrainian crisis and is making efforts to facilitate peace talks, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui said in a written interview with the Russian newspaper Izvestia on Monday.
“Since the comprehensive escalation of the Ukrainian crisis, China has been acting as a ‘peace broker’ and has been making consistent efforts to end the fighting and facilitate peace talks,” he said.
The Chinese ambassador stressed that China’s position on the Ukrainian issue is consistent and clear: the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states must be respected, the purposes and principles of the UN Charter must be observed, reasonable security concerns of all countries must be taken seriously, and all efforts for a peaceful settlement deserve support. “This is the authoritative position and fundamental principle of the Chinese side on the Ukrainian issue,” the ambassador explained, adding that China welcomes and supports all efforts aimed at achieving peace, and will continue to take an objective and fair position, promote consensus building and create conditions for resolving the crisis.
According to Zhang Hanhui, Li Hui, the special representative of the PRC government for Eurasian affairs, has already conducted four rounds of “shuttle diplomacy,” covering four continents – Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America. He visited both the parties to the conflict – Russia and Ukraine – and key European countries, including France and Germany. In addition, deep exchanges of views were held with countries of the Global South, such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Indonesia and South Africa. “These efforts have received wide approval and high praise from the international community, including Russia,” the diplomat noted.
In addition, in 2024, China and Brazil jointly established the Friends of Peace platform through the UN to seek ways to peacefully resolve the Ukrainian crisis, and several meetings have already been held. According to the ambassador, this group has become an important mechanism through which the countries of the Global South express their position on the Ukrainian issue and which reflects the common desire of the international community for a ceasefire and peace. “In its work, the group invariably adheres to an impartial, objective and open position, and is always ready to listen to the views and positions of all parties to the conflict, including Russia. The group adheres to the principle of consensus and focuses on promoting all actions that contribute to a political settlement and the restoration of peace,” the ambassador added.
At the same time, Zhang Hanhui confirmed that China did not participate in the discussions on sending peacekeeping forces to the conflict zone. “The Chinese side believes that three basic principles must be observed when sending peacekeeping forces: consent of the parties to the conflict, impartiality, and non-use of force except in self-defense. At present, there are serious disagreements between the parties concerned on the issue of post-war peacekeeping, there is no sign of an end to hostilities, and the number of casualties continues to rise,” the diplomat noted, adding that China calls on all parties to continue efforts to reduce tensions, create favorable conditions for dialogue, and open a “window” of opportunity for peace.
The Chinese ambassador acknowledged that the causes of the Ukrainian crisis are complex. He recalled the Chinese proverb that “a meter-thick layer of ice does not form in a day,” so “melting” it also takes time. “The end point of any conflict is the negotiating table. The Chinese side welcomes the holding of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul and hopes that all parties can reach a fair, sustainable, binding and mutually acceptable peace agreement through dialogue and negotiations,” he said.
Zhang Hanhui pointed out that following the direct talks in Istanbul, Russia and Ukraine reached agreements on issues such as prisoner exchange, which created favorable conditions for establishing peace and was an important step forward. As the Chinese ambassador emphasized, China calls on the parties to the conflict to demonstrate a desire for negotiations, and also hopes that the parties concerned can provide favorable external conditions for the negotiation process, jointly support the trend towards peaceful negotiations, and ultimately come to a political settlement.
According to the diplomat, China hopes that peace and stability will be restored on the European continent as soon as possible, and is ready to continue to make constructive contributions to this. “Regardless of how the situation develops, China will always stand on the side of peace, on the side of dialogue, and on the right side of history. We will continue to make efforts to resolve the crisis and end the fighting, maintain contact with all parties, and contribute Chinese wisdom and strength to promoting a political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis,” Zhang Hanhui assured. –0–