China’s ambassador to Russia said on Friday that Western powers cannot tell Beijing what to do about Russia over its war in Ukraine.
It was not the Chinese side that caused the Ukrainian crisis [People’s Republic of China] It is not a party to it and has not provided weapons to any of the parties to the conflict,” Zhang Hanhui He said In an interview with the Russian daily Izvestia.
Zhang added, “The West is not in a position to give instructions to China, what’s more, it does not have the authority to blame it on it.”
Despite being one of Moscow’s biggest allies, China has sought to position itself as a mediator between Russia and Ukraine, and has demanded A 12-point peace plan in feb.
But there have been growing concerns that China may be supplying weapons to Russia. Last month, Politico reported that Chinese companies, including a government-linked company in Beijing, had sent Russian entities 1,000 assault rifles, parts for drones and body armor.
The Chinese ambassador’s remarks come amid a long-awaited joint visit by French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to China. On Thursday, the two leaders urged Chinese President Xi Jinping to step up peacemaking efforts — albeit with different methods.
Macron took a softer stance, telling Xi that he “is counting[ed] on [him] To bring Russia back to reason”, while von der Leyen’s approach was more direct. The Commissioner warned against supplying arms to Moscow, saying: “Arming an aggressor is a clear violation of international law – it should never be armed.”
“This would greatly damage the relationship between the EU and China,” von der Leyen added.
But Xi seemed unimpressed by these efforts, sticking to Beijing’s talking points on the war in Ukraine, which closely mirrored the Russian position.
“Peace talks should be resumed as soon as possible, taking into account the reasonable security concerns of all parties regarding the UN Charter,” the Chinese leader said.
The remarks of China’s ambassador to Russia on Friday were strikingly similar.
“What the Chinese side is doing can be summed up in one phrase: advocating peace and promoting negotiations,” Zhang said.
