China is “deeply concerned” if the conflict in Ukraine spirals out of control, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said on Tuesday, calling on some countries to stop“fan the flames” in what appears to be a spade bound for the United States.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine nearly a year ago, China has been careful not to condemn the offensive by Russia, with which it entered into a partnership last year. ” limitless “or qualify as an invasion what Moscow presents as an “special military operation”.
The United States has warned China of consequences if it provides military support to Russia, which Beijing denies doing.
A “peace speech” by Xi Jinping
Qin Gang’s comments come as Russia’s official TASS news agency reported that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will arrive in Moscow on Tuesday afternoon ahead of a “speech of peace” to be announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday, the first anniversary of the war in Ukraine.
Speaking at a forum held at the Foreign Ministry, Qin Gang said that “China is deeply concerned about the possibility that the conflict in Ukraine will continue to escalate or even spin out of control”.
“We urge some countries to immediately stop fanning the flames”ahe added in comments that seem to be aimed at the United States, asking not to stimulate“Ukraine today, Taiwan tomorrow”.
“We are firmly opposed to any form of hegemony, any form of foreign interference in China’s affairs,” he continued.
The United States sees China and Russia as its two main security threats. As Xi Jinping continues to support Vladimir Putin, refusing to go along with the West in isolating the Russian president, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Saturday that Washington was very concerned about China providing a “lethal aid” to Russia. He warned his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi that such a step would have “serious consequences” for the China-US relationship.
Beijing has repeatedly accused Washington of escalating the conflict in Ukraine by supplying arms to Kyiv.
(with Reuters)
