By asking the United States to take Moscow’s security concerns over the Ukraine crisis “seriously,” China has finally shown its support for Russia. This Thursday (26), a call between the diplomatic heads of the two countries sealed the position of the Asian giant.
During the conversation, Foreign Minister Wang Yi demanded that Secretary of State Antony Blinken “stop interfering” in the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics and “stop playing with fire” on the Taiwan issue.
“Russia’s reasonable security concerns must be taken seriously and addressed,” Wang Yi said in a statement from his ministry. “All parties must completely abandon the Cold War mentality and form a balanced, effective and sustainable European security mechanism through negotiations.”
Blinken, for his part, warned the Chinese diplomat of “the economic and global security risks posed by new Russian aggressions against Ukraine and agreed that demobilization and diplomacy are the responsible way to proceed,” said his spokesman Ned Price. . In response, Wang said the priority is “that the United States stop interfering in the Beijing Winter Olympics.”
In addition to the call between the countries, during a press conference last Wednesday (27), China’s state news service Xinhua asked Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian about the deputy secretary’s comments. of State Wendy Sherman, who said Russia’s demand that the alliance not expand its membership was a “no start”.
On January 10, after unsuccessful NATO-Russia Council negotiations in Geneva, Sherman said, “We will not allow anyone to close NATO’s open-door policy.” In Beijing, Zhao referred to the alliance disparagingly as a “Cold War holdover”.
“As the world’s largest military alliance, NATO must abandon the outdated Cold War mentality and ideological bias, and do things that are conducive to maintaining peace and stability,” the Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.
Beijing’s decision to take a public stand comes as around 100,000 Russian troops and war vehicles are concentrated on Ukraine’s eastern border. Moscow says it does not intend to invade.
Three weeks ago, China’s dictator Xi Jinping exchanged telegrams with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of official bilateral relations. “I attach great importance to the development of the China-Ukraine strategic partnership,” Xi said, according to the Chinese ministry.
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