Mao Ning
On Friday, China stated that it would be difficult for it to attend a scheduled summit on the Ukraine war in Switzerland next month if Russia did not go.
While China claims to be a neutral party in the Ukraine war, it has come under fire for neglecting to denounce Moscow’s attack.
Ukraine is trying to increase attendance at the June peace summit, where it wants to secure broad international support for its vision of the terms required to end Russia’s war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has encouraged China to participate, but Beijing emphasized on Friday that any summit must include Russia, which Ukraine has rejected.
Speaking at a regular briefing, foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning expressed, “Beijing believes the summit should have the recognition of Russia and Ukraine, equal participation of all parties, and fair discussion of all peace plans”.
Mao went on to say, “Otherwise, it is difficult for the conference to play a substantive role in restoring peace”.
“The arrangement of the meeting still falls short of China’s requirements and the expectations of the international community, making it difficult for China to attend”, Mao continued.
Russia’s Views On The Peace Summit
Moscow has denounced the concept of a peace summit without Russia as absurd.
Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, stated, “From the beginning, China has spoken about the futility of holding such summits without Russia’s participation”.
“Seeking options for a solution to the Ukrainian conflict without Russia’s participation is absolutely illogical, futile, and a waste of time”, Peskov added.
Following the rare meeting between US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and China’s Dong Jun, spokesman Wu Qian stated, “We have honored our commitment not to provide weapons to either side of the conflict”.
“We have implemented strict controls on exports of military items”, Wu continued.
Wu Qian went on to say, “China will continue resolutely to promote peace talks and play a constructive role, but we firmly oppose the United States shifting blame onto us”.
The Swiss foreign ministry said on Friday that it has taken note of the Chinese position, adding that Switzerland and China share the same principles regarding the organization of a peace conference.
“It must allow a fair discussion of all peace plans, involve the entire international community, in particular the countries of the Global South, and involve Russia”, the Swiss foreign ministry continued.
The ministry went on to say that it is working actively to involve Russia.
