BEIJING, August 18. /TASS/. China will continue to support efforts to reach a political settlement to the conflict in Ukraine, Cheng Yikun, deputy head of the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Europe and Central Asia Department, told reporters.
According to the diplomat, China's position on the Ukrainian crisis has been "consistent and clear." "The essence of our position is to promote negotiations and a political settlement to the crisis," he said in response to a TASS question. "On the basis of the principles put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping on a political settlement to the Ukrainian crisis, and, in particular, on the basis of the document titled called 'China's position on a political settlement to the Ukrainian crisis,' <...> we intend to further strengthen contacts and cooperation with all relevant parties. Based on how the situation develops, we will continue to make efforts to promote the negotiation process."
He said that China’s special envoy for Eurasian affairs, Li Hui, had held a comprehensive exchange of views with various parties at an international conference on Ukraine in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. "During these contacts, the parties positively assessed China's role in facilitating the talks. And all sides hope that China will continue to play a constructive role to move the process forward," Cheng added.
Initiatives to resolve crisis
Earlier, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that Li Hui had outlined Beijing’s position on resolving the Ukrainian conflict at an international conference held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on August 5-6. It was attended by representatives of more than 40 countries and international organizations, including Argentina, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Chile, China, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, Turkey and Ukraine, as well as the United Nations. According to the DPA news agency, only Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky's "peace plan" was originally to be discussed, but a peace initiative put forward by Saudi Arabia and several other countries was also presented in Jeddah. Part of the plan allegedly includes the preservation of Ukraine's territorial integrity, a ceasefire on all fronts, the start of peace talks under the auspices of the UN, and a prisoner swap.
In February, the Chinese Foreign Ministry published a position paper on a political settlement to the crisis in Ukraine. It contains 12 points, including calls for a ceasefire, respect for the legitimate security interests of all countries, resolution of the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, exchange of prisoners of war between Moscow and Kiev, and rejection of unilateral sanctions without a relevant decision by the UN Security Council. In the published document, China called talks "the only way to resolve the crisis in Ukraine" and urged all sides to help Moscow and Kiev "move toward each other" and resume a direct dialogue as soon as possible. It stressed that the international community should create the necessary conditions and provide a platform for the resumption of talks.