China shocks with statement on “peace principles” for resolving war in Ukraine

Chinese authorities say that, from the first day of the conflict in Ukraine, they have “remained committed” to promoting peace negotiations and a political resolution of the crisis — a stance Beijing has maintained since 2022, when it refers to Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning made the statement, according to Ukrinform.

She said that China’s approach to resolving the “crisis” is clear and is supposedly based on four principles of peace. In particular, this includes respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states.

“At the core of China’s approach to resolving this issue are four peace principles put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping: the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries must be respected; the purposes and principles of the UN Charter must be upheld; the legitimate security interests of all countries must be taken seriously; and all efforts to promote a peaceful resolution of the crisis must be supported,” Mao said.

The outlet notes that the diplomat avoided answering a question about what, from China’s perspective, is the difference between events in Venezuela and Ukraine. She also did not explain why Beijing condemned U.S. actions in Venezuela but not the actions of aggressor Russia in Ukraine.

Instead, the spokeswoman emphasized that Beijing’s position is “objective and fair” and that its efforts to achieve peace are “obvious” to the international community.