Mao Ning
On Wednesday, China stated that the most urgent thing at the moment is to restore peace in the Russia-Ukraine War.
China claims to be a neutral party in the Ukraine conflict, but it has faced criticism for neglecting to denounce Moscow’s invasion in February 2022.
Speaking at a briefing, foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated, “Over the last two years, we have never given up in our efforts to promote peace and have never stopped promoting talks”.
Last year, Beijing issued a paper urging for a political settlement to the crisis, which Western countries claimed may allow Russia to keep most of the territory it has gained in Ukraine.
Mao went on to say, “Everything we have done leads to one target, which is to build consensus to end the war and pave the way for peace talks”.
“We will continue to play our unique role, conduct shuttle diplomacy, build consensus among all parties, and contribute Chinese wisdom to promote a political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis”, Mao declared.
In recent years, China and Russia have increased economic cooperation and diplomatic connections, and their strategic collaboration has become stronger since the invasion of Ukraine.
During a conference in Moscow last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin declared that relations were entering a new era.
In Russia this week, China’s Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong said that relations are at their best period in history.
Analysts believe China has the upper hand in its relationship with Russia, and that its influence is expanding as Moscow’s international isolation intensifies.
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