China calls for efforts toward political settlement of Ukraine crisis

UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Monday called for efforts to de-escalate the situation in Ukraine and to create conditions for the political settlement of the crisis.

The Ukraine crisis has dragged on for almost four years. Protracted hostilities will only lead to the loss of more innocent lives and heightened tensions at the regional and international levels, said Sun Lei, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations.

"We call on all relevant parties ... to push for de-escalation and the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, so as to create conditions for a political settlement and strive for the early realization of peace," he told the Security Council.

Dialogue must prevail over confrontation. The hard-won momentum of the latest round of peace talks should be cherished by all sides, he said. "We call on the parties to the conflict to meet each other half-way, continuously build consensus, and take seriously and appropriately address each other's security concerns, in order to reach a comprehensive, lasting, and binding peace agreement, which will eliminate the root causes of conflict, build a balanced, effective, and sustainable European security architecture, and contribute to the lasting peace and stability of Europe."

The spillover of the crisis has severely impacted the global economy. China opposes the use of the crisis by any party as a pretext to impose illegal unilateral sanctions and disrupt normal trade and economic relations. China also opposes any opportunist attempts to divide the world and create exclusive blocs, said Sun.

China's position on the Ukraine issue has been crystal clear and consistent, always working to promote peace and political settlement, and making relentless efforts to create conditions and build consensus for peace, he said.

China sincerely welcomes all efforts that contribute to the peaceful settlement of the crisis, and will continue to work with others to play a constructive role in promoting a political solution, the diplomat said.