A 12-point paper released by the Foreign Ministry in Beijing on Friday also calls for an immediate resumption of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
(Photo: Moment/Getty Images)
Beijing China has called for a ceasefire and peace talks between Ukraine and Russia. The demands are part of a twelve-point plan published by the State Department on Friday morning. “Dialogue and negotiations are the only viable solution to the Ukraine crisis,” it said. However, the document does not contain any concrete proposals as to what a peace plan for Ukraine could look like.
On the other hand, there are very explicit calls for an end to Western sanctions against Russia, measures to secure nuclear facilities and the call to ensure grain exports. In addition, the proposal largely reiterates existing Chinese positions.
Since the beginning of the war, the Chinese government has tried to portray itself as a neutral mediator. However, she never condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In return, she repeatedly accuses the US and NATO of having provoked the conflict and criticizes Western sanctions.
On Thursday, China again abstained from a UN General Assembly vote calling for an end to Russia’s war of aggression. During a visit to Moscow shortly before, China’s highest-ranking foreign politician, Wang Yi, stressed that he wanted to deepen relations with Russia.
Due to the close partnership with Russia, many Western politicians do not believe China’s role as a neutral mediator. The renowned China expert Scott Kennedy from the US think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) described the Chinese proposal as “stillborn”. He seems more like “an idealistic wish list that would benefit Russia more than Ukraine”.
China presents itself as a neutral mediator
Observers, on the other hand, assume that the Chinese government wants to use the paper to win over countries in the so-called Global South. This is supported by the fact that securing grain exports plays a prominent role in the proposal. China calls for the implementation of the Black Sea Grains Initiative. It goes on to say, “The Global Food Security Cooperation Initiative proposed by China offers a viable solution to the global food crisis.”
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China is also resolutely demanding an end to Western sanctions against Russia. These are not authorized by the UN Security Council. In the body, Russia and China have a right of veto. The demands for the protection of nuclear power plants and the call to renounce nuclear weapons and bio-chemical weapons are also very specific. There are also calls to protect civilians and keep supply chains stable.
In other points, China reaffirms its previous positions, such as that the sovereignty of all states must be preserved and legitimate security interests must be taken into account. In addition, Beijing is again calling for an “end to a Cold War mentality”. Diplomats see these formulations as a clear indication of Russia’s argument that it has to defend itself against the United States and NATO.
There are no “so-called legitimate security concerns that could justify this war of aggression and such a violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and political independence,” stressed Jorge Toledo, EU ambassador to China on Friday in Beijing.
Most recently, China’s highest-ranking foreign politician emphasized during a visit that he wanted to deepen relations with Russia.
(Photo: AP)
At the Munich Security Conference last Saturday, China’s top diplomat Wang Yi surprised everyone by announcing a plan for a “political solution to the Ukraine crisis”. The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had welcomed the Chinese initiative in the run-up to the publication. The fact that China has started talking about peace in Ukraine is “not a bad thing,” he said.
China’s head of state and party leader Xi Jinping has exchanged views with Russian President Vladimir Putin four times since the war began, but has not yet spoken to Zelenskiy. Xi and Putin sealed a “partnership without borders” in February last year. Despite the Russian invasion of Ukraine, China is “firmly” committed to its partnership with Russia.
US increases pressure on China
In the past few weeks, the US has significantly increased the pressure on China. They accuse the government of supporting Russia and even considering arms deliveries. China denies the allegations. On the contrary, the United States has been supplying weapons without interruption since the beginning of the war, a Foreign Ministry spokesman emphasized in Beijing last week.
The news magazine “Der Spiegel” reported on Thursday that Russia is apparently negotiating with a Chinese company about the delivery of kamikaze drones. However, the magazine does not cite a source for the information. In recent weeks there have been increasing reports that Chinese companies are supplying so-called dual-use goods to Russia that can be used there for military purposes.
On Friday, the US government wants to announce a new package of sanctions against Russia, which will also punish Chinese companies. “China-based companies or Chinese sub-organizations of companies in Europe” that are “actively involved in circumventing” Western sanctions against Russia are affected, said top US diplomat Victoria Nuland on Thursday.
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