Ukraine war: China going its ‘own way’ on peace process, says foreign minister
- Wang Yi tells Spain’s foreign minister that since Ukrainian crisis started, Beijing aimed to foster talks as a Permanent Five member of the UN Security Council
- Wang repeats China’s objections to Western sanctions: ‘China is not involved in the crisis and we do not wish to be affected by the sanctions’
“From the first day of the outbreak of the Ukrainian crisis, we have been using our way to foster peace talks as a Permanent Five member of the United Nations Security Council,” Wang told Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares in a phone call.
The call was arranged “by invitation” of the other side, according to the Chinese readout.
02:24
US-China meeting focuses on Ukraine, Beijing’s alleged support of Russia
Albares was quoted in China’s official readout saying Spain wished the war could be ended through dialogue and diplomatic means as soon as possible.
“We hope China can make a positive impact in fostering peace,” Albares said, according to the Chinese government’s version of the call.
The Spanish government published a one-line statement following the call, which quoted Albares as saying: “I have talked to my counterpart from China, Wang Yi, about the consequences of the war in Ukraine and the means to end it.”
According to the Chinese readout, Wang voiced clear opposition to Western sanctions.
“China is not involved in the crisis and we do not wish to be affected by the sanctions. China has the right to defend its own interests,” Wang said.