Sun 20 March 2022:
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said Beijing stands on the right side of history over the crisis in Ukraine and its position is “in line with the wishes of most countries”.
“China will never accept any external coercion or pressure, and opposes any unfounded accusations and suspicious against China,” Wang told reporters on Saturday evening, according to a statement published by his ministry on Sunday.
Wang’s comments came after US President Joe Biden warned his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, on Friday of “consequences” if Beijing gave material support to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
During the video call, Xi told Biden the war in Ukraine must end as soon as possible and called on NATO nations to hold a dialogue with Moscow. He did not, however, assign blame to Russia, according to Beijing’s statements about the call.
Wang said the most important message Xi sent was that China has always been a force for maintaining world peace.
“We have always stood for maintaining peace and opposing war,” Wang said, reiterating that China will make independent judgments.
“China’s position is objective and fair, and is in line with the wishes of most countries. Time will prove that China’s claims are on the right side of history.”
Also on Saturday, Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng said that sanctions imposed by Western nations on Russia over Ukraine were increasingly “outrageous.”
The US and its European and Asian allies have slapped sweeping penalties on Russia in response to President Vladimir Putin’s Feb. 24 invasion of its neighbor, which they label a war of aggression. He claims to have started a “special operation” to demilitarize and “denazify” Ukraine.
While Beijing has stated that it recognizes Ukraine’s sovereignty, it has also stated that Russia has genuine security concerns that should be addressed, as well as urging a diplomatic resolution to the conflict.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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