China insists it is ‘not a party’ to Russia’s war with Ukraine – POLITICO

Chinese people Foreign Minister Wang Yi affirmed on Monday that his country is “not a party” to Russia’s war with Ukraine, after US officials claimed Moscow had requested military equipment from Beijing and Washington urged the Asian power not to get involved.

“China is not a party to the [Ukraine] According to Xinhua, China’s state-run press agency, Mr. Wang told his Spanish counterpart, José Manuel Albares, by phone. “Some forces have continued to smear China on Ukraine… and fabricate all kinds of disinformation.”

Wang’s comments came after US officials told multiple news outlets, including POLITICOon Sunday on Russia’s request, and as China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi also spoke with US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan in Rome for seven hours on Monday, according to a senior US official.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied reports of the request on Monday, according to Russian media outlet Kommersant, stressing that “Russia has the potential to be independent to continue operating” and therefore has “no excuses” ” to seek military support from anyone else.

Reports of the Russian request sent share prices of Chinese technology companies down by the most since 2008 on Monday, and Chinese officials began to express concerns about the potential possibility of Western sanctions against Moscow.

“China doesn’t want to be affected by sanctions,” Wang told Albares. “China has the right to protect its legitimate rights and interests.”

Meanwhile, the White House released a brief statement on the talks with Yang in Rome, saying: “Sullivan raised a wide range of issues in US-China relations, with basic discussion of the meeting. Russia’s war against Ukraine. They also stressed the importance of maintaining open lines of communication between the United States and China.”

The The senior US official said the conversation was “candid” and “tense”, adding: “We are seriously concerned about China’s alignment with Russia at this time.”

A Chinese government statement about the talks in Rome said Yang told Sullivan that the situation in Ukraine today “is not what China wants to see” and asserted that Beijing was “committed to advancing the negotiations”. peace talks and the international community should jointly support the Russian-Ukrainian peace negotiations to achieve substantive results as soon as possible”.

“All sides should exercise maximum restraint and protect civilians,” Yang added, according to the news release. He also tacitly called for a clear understanding of Russia’s position and repeated the argument for supporting the “indivisible principle of security”, which the Kremlin used to justify its brutal invasion of Ukraine. “The history and development of the Ukraine issue should be bluntly stated… The legitimate concerns of all sides should be met,” Yang said.

While Beijing has voiced concerns about the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, it has not publicly pressured Russia to stop the war and has promised to keep trade flows normal with Russia despite the sanctions. Western sanctions.

The Xinhua News Agency reported on Wang’s call with Albares said the Chinese foreign minister emphasized Beijing’s efforts to facilitate a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. “Since Day One of the Ukraine crisis, China has used its own ways to call for peace and facilitate negotiations,” Wang said.

The US assertion that Russia has turned to China for military support has also raised doubts among European Union officials about Beijing’s role in the Ukraine crisis. Diplomats said EU national foreign ministers were “bound” to discuss the issue at next week’s Council meeting.

“Diplomats are planning to discuss this at EU level,” said a senior diplomat. “Ukraine should be the main topic of the April 1 EU-China summit.”

A separate senior EU official said top leaders in Brussels are currently awaiting the report of experts to assess the extent to which China can assist Russia.

“We are looking into this matter for accurate information and discussions with our experts. This official said.

Manfred Weber, leader of the largest group in the European Parliament, the centre-right European People’s Party, said: “China’s direct military support for Russia’s war in Ukraine will have a major impact on Europe’s relationship with Beijing. The situation between Europe and China is inherently tense, but China should know that the situation could get much worse.”