BEIJING: The foreign ministers of China and Ukraine on Wednesday exchanged views on the ongoing Ukraine crisis when they met in Guangzhou in south China.
China has always been committed to promoting a political solution to the crisis, said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.
Noting that the Ukraine crisis is in its third year, Wang said there are risks of escalation and spillover in the ongoing conflict.
The Chinese side believes that all conflicts should be resolved by returning to the negotiation table and that all disputes should be resolved through political means, he said.
Wang noted that both Russia and Ukraine have recently, to varying degrees, signaled a willingness to negotiate.
“Although the conditions and timing are not yet ripe, we support all efforts that are conducive to peace, and are ready to continue to play a constructive role in securing a ceasefire, promoting an end of hostilities and restarting peace talks,” he said.
China is concerned about the humanitarian situation in Ukraine and will continue to provide humanitarian material assistance to it, he added.
For his part, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Ukraine attaches great importance to the views of the Chinese side and has carefully studied the six-point consensus proposed by China and Brazil on the political settlement of the crisis.
The Ukrainian side is willing and ready to engage in dialogue and negotiations with the Russian side, said Kuleba.
“To be sure, the negotiations should be sensible and substantive, with the aim of achieving a just and lasting peace,” said the Ukrainian foreign minister, who is on a four-day visit to China that began on Tuesday.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, holds talks with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Guangzhou, south China, July 24, 2024.Â
Sound China-Ukraine ties
During the talks, Wang called for a sound and steady development of China-Ukraine ties.
China and Ukraine are friendly countries, with their strategic partnership established more than a decade ago, he said.
The two countries have treated each other with mutual respect and equality, and steadily advanced mutually beneficial cooperation, said Wang.
