China vows to keep ‘paving way’ for Ukraine peace talks

China will continue diplomatic efforts to help resolve the crises raging across the world, including the Ukraine conflict, Vice Foreign Minister Chen Xiaodong has said.  

Speaking at the Xiangshan Security Forum on Saturday, Chen reiterated that Beijing maintains “in-depth communication with all parties concerned to build consensus for ending the conflict and pave the way for peace talks.”  

It will also “act as a mediator and promote the political resolution of hotspot issues,” he added.  

Since the start of the Ukraine conflict, China has positioned itself as a neutral party, repeatedly calling for negotiations to end the conflict. It has also refused to back Western sanctions against Russia, noting that the West provoked the hostilities by expanding NATO.   

In July, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a rare round of talks with his then-Ukrainian counterpart Dmitry Kuleba. Following these negotiations, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that Beijing believes that a resolution to the conflict must eventually come through a return to the negotiating table, noting that “both Ukraine and Russia have sent signals of willingness to negotiate to varying degrees.”  

However, after Ukraine started its large-scale incursion into Russia in early August, Moscow said that it would refuse to engage as long as Kiev’s forces occupied part of its internationally recognized territory.  

Earlier this week, Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky also blasted China and Brazil, suggesting that they were “taking Russia’s side” in the conflict, given that they had floated peace initiatives without asking Kiev first.  

In May, the two countries proposed a six-point plan that included measures to prevent an escalation, and also called for direct negotiations between Moscow and Kiev, and an international peace conference acceptable to both Russia and Ukraine.