China’s President on Ukraine Conflict: All Sides Involved Should Assume Responsibility
Orinoco Tribune, April 8, 2023 —
The president of China, Xi Jinping, commented to his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, that all parties involved in the conflict in Ukraine “must assume their responsibilities” and “create the conditions” for a political solution and avoid escalation.
President Xi made this remark after Macron told the Chinese leader that he “knows” that he has the Chinese president’s support “to make Russia come to its senses and bring all parties to the negotiating table.”
The dialogue took place on Thursday, April 6, during the French president’s visit to China.
During the meeting, Xi told Macron that China supports peace, and will continue to promote dialogue and a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine crisis.
In this regard, he said that in seeking a political solution to the Ukrainian crisis, “the legitimate security concerns of all sides” should be taken into account.
Therefore, he urged “the international community to be on the side of reason and avoid actions that would deteriorate the situation.”
President Xi stressed the need to exercise restraint so as not to further aggravate the crisis.
The French president insisted that in no case should Russia deploy its nuclear weapons in the territory of Belarus, claiming that no state has the right to deploy its nuclear arsenal in other countries.
However, he did not mention that France’s ally, the United States, has hundreds of its nuclear warheads deployed in several countries of Europe, such as Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, and Turkey, according to the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation.
In this regard, the Chinese president stated that the “solemn pledge” that nuclear weapons will not be used and nuclear wars will not be waged must be seriously implemented.
Macron is the second European head of state to travel to China—after the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez last week—since Xi’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. In that meeting, the Chinese president presented his proposal for achieving peace in Ukraine and the world, and the final declaration of the meeting highlighted the strength of the China-Russia relationship.