China jointly with France and the entire international community will continue efforts to find ways of settling the Ukrainian crisis, Chinese President Xi Jinping wrote in a column for the French newspaper Le Figaro.
“We hope that peace and stability will soon be reinstated in Europe. We will work with France and the entire international community to find the right ways to settle the crisis,” he stated.
China, in his words, “is neither the cause nor a party to it, but has always been playing a constructive role in promoting peaceful settlement.” “I have repeatedly called for sticking to the principles of the United Nations Charter, respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, taking into account the legal security interests of various sides, and have insisted on the inadmissibility of the use of nuclear weapons and a nuclear war,” he stressed.
According to the Chinese president, China “have provided Ukraine with humanitarian assistance and its special envoy has paid several visits to the countries” that are parties to the conflict. Beijing “understands the shock caused by the Ukrainian crisis in Europe,” he added.
Xi arrived on a state visit in France on Sunday. The visit is timed to the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Apart from the Ukrainian crisis, the Chinese leader plans to discuss with French President Emmanuel Macron the situation in the Middle East, issues of trade and cooperation between the two countries, as well as climate problems.
In February 2023, the Chinese foreign ministry released a document outlining Beijing’s position on the political settlement of the crisis in Ukraine. The 12-point document calls for a ceasefire, respect of all countries’ security interests, settlement of the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, the exchange of prisoners of war between Moscow and Kiev, as well as refusal from unilateral sanctions without a UN Security Council resolution.
Source: TASS