China: Any Peace Conference Must Ensure “Equal Participation” of Russia and Ukraine

China intends to maintain cooperation and “close communication” with all parties interested in a constructive solution to the crisis in Ukraine. Chinese President Xi Jinping said following his conversation with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday, April 16 at the Diaoyutai State Residence in Beijing that China “encourages all efforts that contribute to the peaceful resolution of the crisis in Eastern Europe” and supports “the timely convening of an international peace conference” that should absolutely guarantee the “equal participation” of both Russia and Ukraine. The Chinese leader’s words refer to a Western initiative to hold the international meeting in Switzerland without Russia’s participation.

“In the current environment, to prevent the conflict from escalating or spiraling out of control, all sides should work together to restore peace as soon as possible,” Xi Jinping said, outlining some of the necessary principles – from China’s perspective – to achieve this goal.

Above all, the Chinese leader emphasized, it is necessary to strive for “peace and stability,” abandoning once and for all “vested interests.” In addition, President Xi Jinping called on all countries to “stop fanning the flames” and seriously commit to creating the necessary conditions to “restore peace and prevent further escalation” of the conflict. The Chinese leader added that it is necessary to reduce the impact of the crisis on the global economy and protect the stability of industrial and supply chains. Finally, he reiterated to Scholz that his country was “not a party” to the conflict and that Beijing had always promoted peace talks in a way it considered fair and balanced.