Chinese officials reiterated their commitment to working with the international community to advance peace talks in Ukraine, said Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, on Monday. The goal of China’s policy is to create conditions for a ceasefire and the end of the conflict, he announced at a briefing.
Meanwhile, Jiakun denied a newspaper report suggesting that China was considering participating in potential peacekeeping forces in Ukraine, stating that the information was completely untrue.
China’s position on the Ukraine crisis remains consistent and clear, he added.
Over the weekend, the World reported that China was considering joining a “coalition of the willing” citing EU diplomatic circles familiar with the matter. According to the report, Chinese diplomats had been sounding out European officials in Brussels to gauge the feasibility and potential desirability of such a step. France and the UK are currently trying to win over 37 countries to form the coalition, which would involve sending peacekeepers to Ukraine and providing security guarantees to Kiev.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has repeatedly stated that China has always stood on the side of peace. Beijing has consistently maintained contact with all parties, including Russia and Ukraine and the foreign minister, Wang Yi, has emphasized the importance of continued peace negotiations.
China also rejects one-sided sanctions in the Ukraine crisis. No country should use the conflict in Ukraine as an excuse to impose illegal sanctions and thereby imperil trade and economic exchanges, a senior Chinese diplomat said at a UN Security Council meeting in New York last year.