Beijing: Wang Yi, China’s Foreign Minister, has stated that despite Moscow’s Ukraine invasion and close relations with Russia, China sees itself as a force for peace.
At a press conference on the sidelines of parliament’s annual meeting, Wang commented that, “In the face of complex turmoil in the international environment, China will persist in being a force for peace, a force for stability, and a force for progress in the world.”
At the meeting, the relationship between China and Russia, which began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, was also discussed. During Vladimir Putin’s visit to Beijing and Moscow last year, the two governments declared an unrestricted coalition, with Chinese President Xi Jinping praising a ‘new era’ of collaboration before the invasion.
The foreign minister recently stated that a closer relationship between Beijing and Moscow was a ‘strategic choice’. He also mentioned that bilateral trade reached a record $240 billion in 2023. He added that this new development would create “new opportunities” and draw on the two countries’ relations as a “new paradigm” in the associations between big powers.
Wang said that, “Major countries should not seek conflict and the Cold War should not be allowed to come back.” China declared itself as a neutral party in the Ukraine war, and on the first anniversary of the conflict, it released a 12-point peace plan. The plan calls for a ceasefire and talks between the two parties.
The Chinese Minister urged Beijing to maintain an ‘objective and impartial position’ on the Ukraine conflict. He called for peace talks and noted that peace envoy Li Hui is currently in the region. “A conflict, when prolonged, tends to deteriorate and escalate and could lead to an even bigger crisis,” Wang said.
The veteran diplomat described the Gaza conflict as a ‘tragedy for humanity and a disgrace for civilisation.’ Referring to the current situation, Wang called for the release of all prisoners. “The calamity in Gaza is a wakeup call for the world,” the minister said.
The Chinese foreign minister also received strong cautions about the differing South China Sea, which concerned multiple scuffles in current months between China and the Philippines, which reasons almost the entire sea despite declarations by an international tribunal without jurisdiction.
A Chinese coast guard ship tried to block a resupply mission to the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, damaging a Philippine boat in the latest incident. The shoal is about 200 kilometres (124 miles) from Palawan and over 1,000 kilometres (621 miles) from China’s Hainan Island.
As tensions in the strategic waters of the South China Sea continue to intensify, Manila’s relationship with the US has grown stronger. The area is also claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, and Vietnam which have conflicts with China over the control of the surrounding waters, where China has deployed its maritime militia and fishing fleet.
“We resolutely oppose all acts of hegemony and bullying, and will strongly uphold national sovereignty and security as well as development interests,” Wang Yi said.
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