MINSK, 11 April (BelTA) – China's position on Ukraine is consistent and clear, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of China to Belarus Xie Xiaoyong said in an interview with BelTA.
“China has a history of defending peace and opposing war, it is part and parcel of its culture, and this attitude is consistent with its foreign policy. China does not pursue geopolitical interests and is always on the side of peace, dialogue and justice, it makes its own judgments based only on the essence of the matter,” the ambassador said.
Xie Xiaoyong also said that China stays on the right side as it calls for peace and negotiations, upholds the fundamental norms of international relations, insists on preventing a return to Cold War thinking, and advocates the protection of legitimate rights and interests of all countries.
“We are of the opinion that dialogue and negotiations are the only way out of the crisis, we call for a ceasefire and we support direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. We call to respect the fundamental goals and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, as well as the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, we oppose putting small and medium-sized states on the forefront of geopolitical games. We reject confrontation thinking in which countries are either friends or enemies,” he said.
China opposes unilateral sanctions that run afoul of international law, and urges to protect global production and supply chains in order to avoid disruption of normal trade and economic relations and to prevent a threat to human lives in different countries.
Xie Xiaoyong added: “Some progress has recently been made in the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, which sent a positive message to the world, and China welcomes it. We sincerely hope that peace will be restored in Ukraine in the shortest possible time and Ukraine will become a gateway to peace in Europe and a bridge linking East and West.”
