China’s Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong speaks during the Bilateral Consultations Mechanism (BCM) on the South China Sea in Manila, Philippines, March 24, 2023. Francis Malasig/POOL via REUTERS/File Photo
On Wednesday, Ukraine’s First Deputy Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha visited China and encouraged Chinese officials to participate in an upcoming summit on Ukraine, scheduled for June 15-16 in Switzerland. The aim is to garner broader international support for a peaceful resolution to the ongoing conflict. Despite efforts to involve China, Beijing has indicated it will refrain from attending, insisting that the presence of both warring parties is essential for any meaningful peace negotiations.
Following a meeting in Beijing between Sybiha and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry expressed hope that China’s involvement could significantly contribute to achieving a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. The Ministry emphasized the potential benefits of China’s participation in fostering constructive dialogue. However, the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s statement on the meeting did not address Ukraine’s request for China to attend the summit. Instead, it mentioned that both parties “exchanged views on the Ukrainian crisis and international and regional issues of common concern.”
The summit, which has extended invitations to over 100 countries, aims to discuss President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s proposed peace plan to end the Russian invasion, now in its third year. Russia, which has not been invited, has dismissed the summit as futile without its participation. Ukraine, on the other hand, has accused Russia of attempting to undermine the conference.
China maintains a complex stance on the conflict. Despite declaring a “no limits” partnership with Russia shortly before Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, China positions itself as a neutral party. Last year, China proposed a 12-point plan outlining general principles for ending the war, which both sides have acknowledged. Recently, China and Brazil issued a joint statement calling for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.
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