Beijing is in favor of holding conference, which will be supported by Moscow and Kyiv: Foreign Ministry of China

Political 18 March, 2024 20:27

China has not yet ruled out participating in the summit on Ukraine, which has been planned by Switzerland. "We are closely following the Ukraine conference that Switzerland is organising and are examining the possibility of taking part," Chinese Ambassador Wang Shihting told the Neue Zürcher Zeitung newspaper on Monday.

He did not give any more specific details. China is in favour of promoting peace talks and has always been committed to this, said the Chinese representative. He reiterated China’s strategy for a diplomatic end to the conflict. The territorial sovereignty of all countries must be respected, and the UN Charter adhered to.

In China’s view, all parties should endeavour to bring an end to the war. “The crisis must be prevented from worsening or spiralling out of control,” said Wang Shihting.

Switzerland is planning a high-level peace conference in collaboration with Ukraine. The focus will be on the future of Ukraine and the so-called Ukrainian peace formula with a ten-point plan for an end to the Russian war of aggression. These are not actual peace talks. Russia is not to be present.

China has been officially invited. China is considered an ally of Russia and the West hopes to be able to influence Moscow via Beijing.

The four previous peace formula meetings have primarily served to keep Ukraine’s allies aligned. Russia has so far rejected the peace formula as “unrealistic”. The peace plan being pushed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi envisages, among other things, the immediate withdrawal of all Russian troops from all occupied territories.

In addition, the plan includes the release of all prisoners of war and legal prosecution of Russian politicians and military personnel involved in the war.