As it unveiled its plan to resolve the conflict in Ukraine on Friday, China urged for immediate peace negotiations. Western governments swiftly rejected the plans and warned against Beijing’s growing connections to Moscow.
The 12-point document, which calls for a “political settlement” of the issue, comes in response to Western allegations that China is considering arming Russia, which Beijing has refuted.
The statement urges all parties to “help Russia and Ukraine in moving in the same direction and resuming direct talks as early as possible,” timed to coincide with the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
With Russian President Vladimir Putin threatening to use Moscow’s nuclear arsenal in the battle, it also makes plain its opposition to both the use and threat of nuclear weapons.
But, the document was treated with scepticism right away from Ukraine’s allies, with NATO leader Jens Stoltenberg claiming Beijing “doesn’t have much credibility because they haven’t been able to condemn the illegal invasion of Ukraine.”
The national security adviser to US Vice President Joe Biden claimed that if Russia stopped invading Ukraine and withdrew its forces, the war “might end tomorrow.”
Jake Sullivan told CNN, “My first impression of (the position paper) is that it might end at point one, which is to respect the sovereignty of all states.
Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the president of Germany, added that although “any constructive suggestion that gets us closer on the path to a just peace is highly welcomed,” “it is still questionable that China, a global power, wishes to play such a positive role.”
He continued, “China should speak with Kyiv as well as Moscow.”
Diplomats from the EU and Ukraine encouraged China to exert more pressure on Russia to halt the war during a press conference in Beijing.
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As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, Beijing has a “particular obligation” to safeguard peace, according to Jorge Toledo, the EU ambassador to China.
Depending on what neutrality means, he replied, “I’m not sure if this is compatible with neutrality.”
China has made an effort to portray itself as a party to the war that is neutral while still keeping tight connections to Russia, a key partner.
Wang Yi, a senior Chinese diplomat, met with Putin and Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, on Wednesday in Moscow.
Wang was cited as adding that China was eager to “deepen political trust” and “strengthen strategic collaboration” with Russia in a summary of the meeting released by the Chinese state news agency Xinhua.
After Wang’s visit, Russia claimed that China had discussed strategies for a “political settlement” of the crisis.
Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, stated on Thursday that he had not seen any Chinese peace plans and that he wanted to meet with Beijing to discuss the proposal before evaluating it.
According to Manoj Kewalramani, a China researcher at the Takshashila Institution in Bengaluru, India, the memo released on Friday indicated Beijing “clearly regards the situation in Ukraine as a consequence of what it says is Cold War mentality and an obsolete European security architecture.”
Beijing would probably want peace talks to centre on “a new European security architecture rather than the war itself,” he told AFP. “The concerns indicated in this text are about escalation and spillover effects.”
Since Russian tanks crossed the border into Ukraine, China has supported Putin financially and diplomatically but has abstained from engaging militarily or delivering lethal weapons.
Washington worries that is about to change as China may be preparing to give Moscow weaponry to support its military campaign. Beijing has disputed the assertions.
Japan’s prime minister said a fictitious Group of Seven summit will call for nations to refrain from sending military aid to Russia on Friday, though he did not single out any particular country.
Yet, one expert contended that the Chinese strategy paper might be setting Beijing up for deeper engagement in the conflict.
Drew Thompson, a former representative of the US Department of Defense, posted on Twitter, “The absence of a proscription against arms transfers bothers me.”
“It’s probable Beijing is preparing to support Russia with lethal assistance.”
