Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – China has refused to call Russia’s move into Ukraine an ‘invasion’.
“China is closely monitoring the latest situation. We ask all parties to exercise restraint to prevent the situation from spiraling out of control,” said Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
At a daily media briefing in Beijing, Hua discussed the definition of “invasion” which she said should be returned to the way we view the current situation in Ukraine. “This may be the difference between China and you Westerners. We will not rush to conclusions,” he said.
Even so, China has advised its citizens in Ukraine to stay at home and take precautions by raising the Chinese flag if they need to go outside.
Ukraine itself has a very complex historical background that continues to this day.
The Chinese ministry later said that senior diplomat Wang Yi, as well as China’s foreign minister, had spoken with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov. Wang said that the Ukraine issue has a complex history. Wang Yi reiterated that China understands what he called Russia’s “legitimate concerns” on security.
The Russian attack came weeks after Putin met his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. The meeting was just before the Winter Olympics in Beijing.
The two sides announced a strategic partnership aimed at countering US influence and said they would have no ‘forbidden’ areas of cooperation.
(hsy/hsy)
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