China urges US to respect Russia’s concerns in stand-off over Ukraine

The comments by Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Secretary of State Antony Blinken are Beijing’s first overt show of support for Moscow on the matter

It has been revealed that China is being kept updated by Russia on security talks with the US and Nato

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The Russian army stages drills in the southern Rostov region, bordering Ukraine. Photo: Reuters

Published: 7:00pm, 27 Jan 2022Updated: 7:17pm, 27 Jan 2022

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has called on the US to respect Russia’s security concerns over Ukraine, in a show of solidarity with Moscow as it faces mounting opposition to its stance towards its neighbour.

Delivered by Wang to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken by telephone on Thursday, the comments were the furthest China has gone so far in supporting Russia’s position on Ukraine.

Russia, which has been building up its forces on Ukraine’s borders for months, has demanded that Nato pull back troops and weapons from eastern Europe and bar Ukraine, a former Soviet state, from ever joining the security alliance – a stipulation that Nato has rejected.

Beijing’s statement following the Wang-Blinken phone call quoted Wang as saying that “Russia’s reasonable security concerns should be taken seriously and resolved”.

“We call on all parties to remain calm and refrain from doing things that stimulate tension and hype up the crisis,” the statement read.

During the call, according to the statement, Wang emphasised that the security of one country should not be at the expense of the security of others, and regional security could not be guaranteed by strengthening or expanding military blocs.

The United States and its Nato allies have said that they are ready to discuss with Russia matters such as arms control and confidence-building measures.

Blinken “underscored the global security and economic risks posed by further Russian aggression against Ukraine and conveyed that de-escalation and diplomacy are the responsible way forward”, US State Department spokesman Ned Price said after the phone call.