China’s announcement of its willingness to intervene to reach a peaceful solution to the conflict in Ukraine sparked a European welcome, skepticism and an American warning.
And Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced that Beijing is ready to present its peace proposal on Ukraine, in a declaration that is the first of its kind by China since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis.
Wang Yi said in a speech during the Munich Security Conference: “This war cannot continue to rage … the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all countries will be respected in China’s proposal … Beijing will continue to work for peace.”
He added, “I suggest that we start thinking calmly, especially friends in Europe. We need to think about what efforts can be made to end this war. Many EU leaders in Munich are still suspicious of Beijing’s intentions. I will go to Moscow after the meetings are over.” In Munich to talk to the Russians.”
European response
In response to China’s call to lead peace efforts between Russia and Ukraine, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, in her statements, that Europe needs more evidence that China is not working with Russia, but at the same time she stressed that Europe is relatively reassuring to China on They do not play a role in this war.
German Foreign Minister Analina Baerbock welcomed China’s announcement, describing its pursuit as “positive”.
“It’s a good thing that China sees the responsibility to defend world peace,” Beerbock said. “If you work for peace all year round, you should seize any opportunity for peace.”
“We hope that China will play a positive role in resolving the crisis that we have been facing for a year,” she added.
American skepticism
For her part, US Vice President Kamala Harris from Munich questioned the neutrality shown by China, and said that the United States was “concerned about China’s deepening of its relations with Moscow since the start of the war.”
And Harris believed that “any move by China aimed at providing lethal support to Russia would only reward aggression, continue the killings, and further undermine a system built on the basis of the rules.”
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said, Sunday, after meeting his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, that Beijing is considering sending “weapons” to Russia, in support of its attack in Ukraine.
“We talked about the war that Russia is waging, and our concern that China is considering providing lethal support to Russia,” Blinken told CBS.
When asked about what that meant concretely, the US Secretary of State replied, “Mainly weapons.”
America.. Ukraine’s official negotiator
Political analyst and expert in international relations, Jas Matar, told “Sky News Arabia” that Europe was among those most affected by the Russian-Ukrainian war, and everyone witnessed the gas crisis and inflation problems.
Matar added, “Certainly Europe wishes to end the conflict, and the recent crisis has made it deviate, albeit in a simple way, from American dependence, especially after the exacerbation of crises within it.”
He explained that “Europe seeks to take advantage of any opportunity to end the crisis, and it is clear that it did not see in America the sincerity of intentions in ending this war.”
He pointed out that China has the tools to make its word heard inside Russia, as they are “two allies,” but he questioned China’s ability to put pressure on Ukraine, considering that Kiev is acting on behalf of the United States in negotiating.
