Chinese FM calls for joint efforts to promote peace talks on Ukraine

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here Tuesday that all parties should be truly committed to promoting peace talks on the Ukraine issue.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks at the United Nations headquarters while attending a Security Council high-level meeting on the situation in Ukraine.

The Security Council should serve as a bridge between differences and contradictions, an advocate of seeking common ground while shelving differences, a defender of common security, and a builder of lasting peace, he said.

Wang put forward three propositions in this regard:

Firstly, it is necessary to enhance the sense of crisis in cooling down the situation. Weapons of mass destruction should not be used, nuclear facilities devoted to peaceful purposes such as nuclear power plants should not be attacked, and civilians and civilian facilities should not be targeted, the envoy said.

Secondly, it is necessary to enhance the sense of responsibility in promoting peace talks. Dialogue and negotiation is the only viable way out of the Ukrainian crisis, he noted, urging the international community to seize the current opportunity to form joint efforts to promote peace talks.

Thirdly, it is necessary to enhance the sense of urgency in managing spillovers. China calls on the international community to strengthen cooperation on energy, finance, trade, food security and the protection of key infrastructure such as oil and gas pipelines, so as to jointly maintain the stability and smooth flow of global industrial and supply chains, Wang said.

China is not a creator of the Ukraine crisis, nor is it a party concerned, the top Chinese diplomat noted. China has always sided with peace, and maintained contact with all parties, including Russia and Ukraine, he added.

Warning that any attempt to blame, attack or smear China on the Ukraine issue is irresponsible and will not succeed, Wang called on the international community to join hands to uphold a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security.