China's top envoy urges all parties involved to work for peace

BEIJING • Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi has urged all parties involved to work towards peace in handling the Ukraine crisis rather than escalating tensions, creating panic and playing up the threat of war.

Mr Wang was taking questions on the eastward expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato), European security and the situation in Ukraine at the 58th Munich Security Conference on Saturday.

He said Europe should seriously consider whether Nato's continuous expansion eastwards would be conducive to maintaining and achieving lasting peace and stability in the region.

On the Ukraine issue, Mr Wang said, it is time to return to the original point of the Minsk-2 agreement as soon as possible.

The Minsk-2 agreement is a binding pact reached through negotiations among all parties concerned and has been approved by the United Nations Security Council, he said.

That is the only way to resolve the Ukraine crisis, he added.

Mr Wang called on the relevant parties to sit together for a full discussion and to work out a road map and timetable to implement the agreement.

Ukraine should become a bridge of communication between Eastern and Western Europe, instead of the front line of confrontation between major powers, he said.

All parties can raise their own concerns, and Russia's legitimate security concerns should be respected and taken seriously, he added.

"China expects all parties to find a solution that is truly conducive to safeguarding European security through dialogue and consultations," the Foreign Minister said.

Mr Wang also called for greater solidarity and cooperation under the banner of multilateralism, noting that the world is once again facing the danger of division and confrontation.

"Only when countries row the oars together and cheer each other up, rather than to undercut and come after one another, can we overcome the current challenges and sail into a bright future," he said.

"In this process, the role and action of major countries are critically important."

Major countries must lead by example, countries must work in sync, and China and Europe must play their part, Mr Wang said.

"We expect all major countries to take the lead in supporting multilateralism, living up to their international commitments, acting on the purposes of the UN Charter, and contributing to world peace and development," he said.

"We all must guard against and oppose any attempt for a 'new Cold War', and strive for a world of enduring peace."

Mr Wang said that China and Europe - both major forces and great civilisations - can and must provide more stability and positive energy for the world.

The two sides need to stay committed to the China-European Union comprehensive strategic partnership, respect each other's core interests, adhere to the basic international norm of non-interference in internal affairs, and expand mutually beneficial cooperation across the board, he said.

"China is ready to work with all countries as passengers in the same boat and, with unity as the sail and cooperation as the oar, sail through the pandemic and towards a brighter future," Mr Wang said.

XINHUA