“All parties should support Russia and Ukraine to work in the same direction and resume direct dialogue as soon as possible,” said the Chinese Foreign Ministry in this 12-point document for a “political solution” to the conflict.
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Beijing also rejected the use of nuclear weapons, just days after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the suspension of its participation in a nuclear disarmament treaty with the United States.
“Nuclear weapons must not be used and nuclear wars must never be fought. The threat or use of nuclear weapons must be combated,” the document adds.
The text also emphasizes the need to protect civilians: “Parties to the conflict must strictly respect international humanitarian law and avoid attacking civilians or civilian installations.”
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The United States government criticized the document. Jake Sullivan, President Joe Biden's national security adviser, said the war "could end tomorrow if Russia stopped attacking Ukraine and withdrew its forces."
“My first reaction is that (the document) could stop at point one, which is respecting the sovereignty of nations,” Sullivan told CNN.
“Russia has already lost this war. Russia's objectives in the war were to erase Ukraine from the map, to absorb it into the map. They have failed and are not in a position to succeed,” she added.
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NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expressed skepticism about China's plan and said Beijing "doesn't have much credibility" in this conflict.
German President Frank Walter Steinmeier also highlighted “doubts” about the “constructive role” Beijing can play for peace in Ukraine.
Allies but neutrals
Beijing has tried to position itself as a neutral party in the conflict, although it maintains ties with Moscow, its strategic ally.
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The head of Chinese diplomacy, Wang Yi, met in the Russian capital on Wednesday with President Vladimir Putin and his Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during a visit to present his “political solution” to the war.
In a summary of the meeting published by state news agency Xinhua, Wang said China intends to “deepen political trust and strengthen strategic coordination” with Russia.
Following Wang's visit, Moscow announced that Beijing had presented its vision for a “political solution” to the conflict.
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Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky said on Thursday that he had not seen China's peace plan and wanted to meet with Beijing representatives to discuss the proposal before offering his view.
“I think it's a very positive thing in general that China starts talking about Ukraine and sending signals,” Zelensky said.
The document demonstrates that Beijing “clearly sees the conflict in Ukraine as a product of what it calls a Cold War mentality and an antiquated security architecture in Europe,” said Manoj Kewalramani, an analyst at the Takshashila Institute in Bangalore (India).
The G7 (group of the world's seven most industrialized nations) will ask countries to refrain from sending military aid to Russia during a virtual meeting this Friday, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced.
“In view of the military support for Russia by third countries that has already been reported, the G7 intends to call for an end to such support, Kishida said just hours before the meeting.
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, China has offered diplomatic and financial support to Putin, but has refrained from any military involvement or sending weapons to the ally.
State-controlled Chinese companies have sold non-lethal drones and other equipment to both Russia and Ukraine. And Moscow was forced to turn to Iran for unmanned combat aircraft.
(With AFP)
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