The road to peace talks in Ukraine will not be smooth

BEIJING – President of China Xi Jinping he told his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin that path to peace continues Ukraine it won’t be smooth. Xi also assured that China will continue to maintain an “objective and fair attitude” on the matter.

Xi said Beijing and Moscow should coordinate and cooperate closely on international affairs and stressed Russia’s willingness to engage in negotiations over Ukraine, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said in its report on the phone call between the two men.

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“The Chinese side has noted that the Russian side has never refused to resolve the conflict through diplomatic negotiations, and has expressed its appreciation for this,” Xi said on a CCTV video call, quoted by Reuters on Friday (30/ 12/2022).

Xi and Putin have in recent years been drawn together by a shared distrust of the United States and its allies, evidenced by a declaration in early February of a “borderless” strategic partnership that sent warnings to the rest of the West.

But, after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February, China has publicly emphasized that it is in no way a party to the conflict. And, in September, after the Russian military faced several battlefield setbacks, Putin publicly acknowledged that Xi had “questions and concerns” about the war.

Putin said in comments on Russian television that he aimed to boost military cooperation with China, but made no mention of military cooperation in the CCTV call report.

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The “borderless” description of Sino-Russian relations is frowned upon in Beijing, at least in public, as it seeks to circumvent Western sanctions for aiding Russia’s war effort.

Xi made clear the ideological affinity between Beijing and Moscow when it comes to opposing what they both see as the US-led hegemonic West.

“Facts have repeatedly shown that detention and repression are unpopular and that sanctions and interference are doomed to failure,” Xi told Putin.

“China is ready to cooperate with Russia and all the progressive forces in the world who oppose hegemonism and power politics, and firmly defend the two countries’ sovereignty, security and development interests and international justice” Xi continued.

(es)