China ‘Opposes Any Act’ of War; Blames U.S. For Sending Weapons to Ukraine
China ‘Opposes Any Act’ of War; Blames U.S. For Sending Weapons to Ukraine
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman scolded the U.S. for sending weapons to Ukraine in the leadup to Russia’s invasion while reiterating China’s call for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
Hua Chunying, the spokeswoman for the ministry, made the remarks during a press briefing Thursday as China seeks to maintain its alliance with Russia while also using its influence to quell its conflict with Ukraine.
She said that China opposes any call to war and has tried to reduce tensions in the run-up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine this week, which was condemned by the U.S. and its Western allies. Hua noted that the U.S. has sent at least $1.5 billion worth of over 1,000 metric tons of weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, according to Chinese news agency Xinhua.
“At that time, if all the parties had promoted peace talks, reviewed the historical context of the Ukraine issue, respected and accommodated each other’s security concerns, and resolved the issue in a reasonable, proper way for a soft landing of the situation, what would be happening now?” Hua continued.
With the invasion of Ukraine underway, Hua said the focus should now be on stopping the conflict instead of finding blame.
Russia and China’s increasingly close relationship was on display earlier this month when Presidents Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping issued a statement emphasizing their common interests against Western powers. The statement, issued ahead of the Winter Olympics in Beijing earlier this month, called on NATO to halt expansion in Eastern Europe while criticizing Asian-Pacific security agreements.
China’s balancing act between backing Russia and calling for peace was on display when the country’s foreign minister called his U.S. counterpart this week.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday told U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken “that the legitimate security concerns of any country must be respected,” according to a readout of the phone call.
“China once again calls on all parties to exercise restraint, appreciate the importance of implementing the principle of indivisible security, and de-escalate the situation and resolve differences through dialogue and negotiation,” the readout said.
U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said Wednesday that Russia and China are seeking a “world order” that he described as “profoundly illiberal” and “is in many ways destructive rather than additive.”
