Wang Yi, China’s foreign affairs chief, meets with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Moscow on February 22, 2023.
ANTON NOVODEREZHKIN/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images
On Friday, China released a 12-point peace plan to end the Ukraine war.
The plan calls for a ceasefire and gradual deescalation of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
China’s attempt to present itself as a neutral party comes days after top diplomat Wang Yi’s Moscow visit.
On Friday, China called for a ceasefire in Ukraine and released a 12-point peace plan to end the war.
China released the plan at 9 a.m. local time on the first anniversary of the Ukraine war, calling for a “gradual” de-escalation of the war and eventually a “comprehensive ceasefire.”
“Conflict and war benefit no one. All parties must stay rational and exercise restraint, avoid fanning the flames and aggravating tensions, and prevent the crisis from deteriorating further or even spiraling out of control,” read China’s plan.
China also called for “dialogue and negotiation,” but did not give details on what its role might be in facilitating peace talks.
In the plan, China also appealed to both Ukraine and Russia to avoid the use of nuclear weapons.
“Nuclear weapons must not be used and nuclear wars must not be fought. The threat or use of nuclear weapons should be opposed. Nuclear proliferation must be prevented and nuclear crisis avoided,” the plan read.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday that he had not yet seen the peace plan, but is open to talks with Beijing, per Reuters.
On Saturday, China’s foreign affairs chief Wang Yi told the Munich Security Conference that China is not “directly concerned” in the Ukraine war, but that it is “not standing idly by.”
China’s attempt to present itself as a neutral, mediating force in the conflict comes just days after Wang met Russian President Vladimir Putin and Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, in Moscow.
During his meeting with Putin on Wednesday, Wang said the “relationship between China and Russia is solid as a mountain and can stand the test of international risks,” per Bloomberg. Putin also asked Wang to pass on well-wishes to “my friend” Xi Jinping, China’s leader.
China has also been supporting Russia in other ways. In January, China’s purchases of crude oil from Russia hit their highest level since the start of the Ukraine war, Bloomberg reported, citing numbers from data intelligence firm Kpler.
And on Sunday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that the US is “very concerned” that China might be thinking of giving “lethal support” to Russia.
After Blinken’s statements, Sen. Lindsey Graham warned China that it would be “dumber than dirt” of them to give Putin lethal weapons at this juncture in the war, likening it to “buying a ticket on the Titanic after you saw the movie.”
Representatives at China’s embassy in Washington, D.C., did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.