Beijing : China on Wednesday described President Xi Jinping’s visit to Russia as a visit of “friendship, cooperation and peace” and condemned the US arms embargo to Ukraine. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin reiterated China’s claim that it would remain neutral in the Ukraine-Russia conflict. he/she said that, ‘China has no selfish motive regarding the Ukraine issue and ideally is not with it or is not seeing it as an opportunity to take advantage.’ Wang said at the daily press conference, ‘China says in one word that it encourages peace talks.’
he/she accused the US of lacking impartiality and of “fanning” the conflict in its own interests by arming Ukraine. Significantly, the US, NATO and allied countries have been helping Ukraine since the beginning of the war, while China, while avoiding direct involvement, is providing financial assistance to Russian President Vladimir Putin. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said, “President Xi Jinping’s visit to Russia was for friendship, cooperation and peace, which has had a positive impact in the international community.”
Western countries rejected China’s proposal
he/she said that China would “continue to play a positive role for the political settlement of the Ukraine issue”. Wang was probably referring to the 12-point peace proposal sent by Beijing that calls for a ceasefire and talks. However, the Chinese proposal has been largely rejected by Western countries because Beijing is too close to Moscow and is not seen as a neutral mediator. Also, the position regarding the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine has not been clarified in the proposal.
Japan’s Prime Minister was in Ukraine
Significantly, at the same time as the Chinese President’s visit to Russia, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited Ukraine, which is considered America’s partner and China’s biggest rival in East Asia. Meanwhile, Russia carried out a series of drone attacks on Ukraine in the intervening night of Tuesday-Wednesday, killing at least three people and damaging basic infrastructure. Regarding Ukraine, Wang said Russia and China agreed that the UN Charter and international laws should be respected. he/she said both countries oppose the unilateral imposition of economic sanctions by the US and other countries on Putin and his/her financial backers.