Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying Photo: fmprc.gov.cn

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After Russia started a military operation against Ukraine, Chinese Foreign Ministry said China is closely following the latest developments and calls on all parties to exercise restraint and prevent the situation from getting out of control. 

Hua Chunying, spokesperson of Chinese Foreign Ministry, made the remarks at Thursday's media briefing. She said that China believes there should be mutual cooperation and sustainable security, and reasonable security concerns of all parties concerned should be respected and solved, Hua said, noting that China hopes all parties don't shut the door on peace, but continue negotiations and try to ease the situation as soon as possible.

Hua's remarks were made in response to questions on whether China saw Russia's military operations against Ukraine as an "invasion."

As several Western media journalists repeatedly brought up the questions at the media briefing and asked whether China will "condemn" Russia's moves, Hua told the journalists to ask the US, which has been fanning the flames of the Ukraine issue, on how it plans to put out the fire it started. China will closely follow the situation and will not rush into a conclusion, Hua said.

Hua asked the journalists if they also condemned the US for unfreezing $7 billion in Afghan funds held in the US, which the US plans to use for its own needs. 

The Global Times launched an online petition on Wednesday demanding the US to return the life-saving money to Afghans unconditionally.

The Ukraine issue has a very complicated historical background and today's situation is the result of a variety of factors, Hua said. 

China also noticed Russia's defense ministry's statement in which it said the Russian Armed Forces are not carrying out missile, aviation or artillery attacks on Ukraine's cities. 

Hua also said China will not do what the US has done by providing military facilities to Ukraine,adding that as a powerful country, Russia does not need China or other countries to provide it with weapons. 

In response to whether China has any plan to increase or decrease trade with Russia and Ukraine, Hua said that China will carry out normal trade, including energy trade, with each of the two countries, in accordance with the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and the friendly cooperative relations between the two countries.



Global Times