China, Russia Contribute to Regional, Global Stability
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - China and Russia contribute to the strategic stability in the Asia-Pacific region and the world, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Saturday, adding that Beijing has consistently promoted a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine crisis.
"Russia is China's largest neighboring country. A China-Russia relationship that grows steadily on the basis of non-alliance, non-confrontation and not targeting any third party, meets the shared interest of the two countries, serves the strategic stability of the Asia-Pacific and the world," Wang said at the Munich Security Conference.
Wang noted that Beijing "has never given up on promoting peace or slackened its efforts to facilitate talks" on the Ukrainian crisis.
Chinese President Xi Jinping had an in-depth exchange of views on this issue with world leaders, including of both Russia and Ukraine, the minister said, noting that China had published its position paper on this matter and the country's special envoy traveled intensively to mediate among different parties.
"There is only one goal that China hopes to achieve, that is to build consensus to ending the conflict and pave the way for peace talks," Wang said, specifying that China did not start or participate in the Ukrainian crisis, but it also did not sit idly by nor exploited the situation.This year, the Munich Security Conference is taking place from February 16-18. Over 450 high-profile officials are expected to attend the meeting to discuss international security issues, including heads of state, ministers, leading personalities of international and non-governmental organizations, high-ranking representatives of industry, media, academia, and civil society. The forum was founded in 1963.
In February 2023, Beijing released a 12-point document titled "China's Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis," which underscores respect for the sovereignty of all countries, the cessation of hostilities, and the resumption of peace talks between Moscow and Kiev.
Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Russian and Ukrainian delegations have engaged in several rounds of peace talks in the early days of the conflict, but the negotiation ultimately reached an impasse.
