In a speech to the UN General Assembly, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi did not strongly support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, normally an ally of Beijing. “We urge all parties involved to prevent the crisis from spreading and to protect the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries,” Wang said.
The Chinese leader called for “fair and pragmatic” peace talks to resolve all global problems. “China supports all efforts leading to a peaceful resolution of the crisis in Ukraine. The urgent priority is to facilitate peace negotiations,” Wang said. “The fundamental solution is to address the legitimate security concerns of all parties and build a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture.”
During his visit to the United Nations, Wang met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in what was the first meeting since Russia invaded its neighbor on February 24.
Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged China’s “concerns” over Ukraine during a meeting with his counterpart Xi Jinping.
Before the war, Putin visited Beijing and the two nations declared a close alliance.
But US officials are heartened by what they see as China’s lack of concrete support for the war, saying Beijing has declined requests to submit military equipment, forcing Russia to rely on North Korea and Iran as its own supplies dwindle.
Source: DN
