At a rare news conference in Beijing, Wang Yi calls for peace talks to end the two-year Ukraine conflict.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said China sees itself as a “force for peace” in the world, even as it seeks deeper ties with Russia despite Moscow's invasion of the neighbor. Ukraine.
“In the face of complex turmoil in the international environment, China will persist in being a force for peace, a force for stability and a force for progress in the world,” Wang told reporters at a news conference in Beijing on the sidelines of the conference. the annual meeting of the country's parliament.
Wang, who spoke in Mandarin, was also asked about China's relationship with Russia, which began its large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The two countries announced a “boundless” partnership shortly before the invasion, when Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Beijing, and in Moscow last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping hailed a “new era” of cooperation.
The Foreign Minister said the closer relationship between Beijing and Moscow was a “strategic choice”, noting that bilateral trade had reached a record $240 billion in 2023.
“New opportunities” lie ahead, he added, portraying the two countries' ties as a “new paradigm” in great power relations.
“Big countries should not seek conflict and the Cold War should not be allowed to return,” Wang said.
China has positioned itself as a neutral party in the Ukraine war and, on the first anniversary of the conflict, published a 12-point peace plan calling for a ceasefire and talks between the two sides.
On Thursday, Wang insisted that Beijing maintained an “objective and impartial position” on Ukraine and called again for peace talks, noting that peace envoy Li Hui was currently in the region.
“A conflict, when prolonged, tends to deteriorate and escalate and could lead to an even bigger crisis,” Wang said.
