Chinese President Xi Jinping announced on Wednesday that China would send a special envoy for Eurasian issues to Ukraine and other countries in order to conduct extensive talks with all parties involved on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis.
President Xi made the remarks during a phone call to his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This was the first phone call between the leaders of the two countries since Russia launched war on Ukraine last year.
During the phone call, Xi emphasized that dialogue and negotiation is “the only viable way forward”. Reiterating China’s position on the Ukraine crisis, the Chinese President said “China always stands on the side of peace.”
“China did not create the Ukraine crisis, nor is it a party to the crisis. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a responsible major country, China would not sit idly by, nor would it add oil to the fire, still less exploit the situation for self gains,” the Chinese president told Zelenskyy.
Beijing’s “core stance is to facilitate talks for peace,” said Xi, hoping that international stakeholders would also take the Ukraine crisis seriously and jointly explore ways to bring lasting peace and stability to Europe through political settlement.
China-Ukraine strategic partnership
The two leaders also agreed to “take the China-Ukraine strategic partnership forward”. Xi said that Beijing was consistent and clear-cut in its readiness to develop bilateral relations with Kyiv.
“Two sides need to carry forward the tradition of mutual respect and sincerity, and take the China-Ukraine strategic partnership forward,” Xi told Zelenskyy, according to China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying.
A meaningful phone call
The Ukrainian president also termed his phone call with Xi as “long and meaningful.”
“I had a long and meaningful telephone conversation with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. I believe that the conversation, as well as the appointment of the Ambassador of Ukraine to China, will give a powerful impetus to the development of our bilateral relations,” Zelenskyy wrote on Twitter.
Highlights of talks
These are the key points from the Xi-Zelenskyy phone call, according to Chinese media:
Ukraine crisis
- President Xi said that dialogue and negotiations are the only viable way out for the Ukraine crisis, and no one wins a nuclear war.
- China will send a special representative of the Chinese government on Eurasian affairs to visit Ukraine and other countries to conduct in-depth communications with all parties on the political settlement of the crisis, he said.
- On the Ukraine crisis, China always stands on the side of peace, and its core stance is to facilitate talks for peace, he said.
- Xi noted his proposals of four points about what must be done, four things the international community must do together and three observations, saying that on this basis, China released its Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis.
- China did not create the Ukraine crisis, nor is it a party to the crisis, Xi said, adding that as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a responsible major country, China would not sit idly by, nor would it add oil to the fire, still less exploit the situation for self gains.
- It is hoped that all parties would seriously reflect on the Ukraine crisis and jointly explore ways to bring lasting peace and security to Europe through dialogue, Xi said.
China-Ukraine ties
- Mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, said Xi, is the political foundation of the bilateral ties.
- He called on both sides to focus on the future, keep on viewing and making plans for bilateral relations from a long-term perspective, and extend the tradition of mutual respect and treating each other with sincerity, so as to propel the development of the China-Ukraine strategic partnership.
- China’s willingness to develop its relations with Ukraine is consistent and clear, Xi said, adding that no matter how the international situation changes, China is willing to work with Ukraine to push forward mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries.