Wang Wenbin, spokesperson of China's Foreign Ministry Photo: cnsphoto

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China will make its own effort to push for political settlement of the Ukraine issue, and there is a sharp contrast between China's approach and some other countries' moves of creating and shifting the crisis, and trying to benefit from it, Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Friday after the White House claimed it's time for China to pick a side.

Wang Wenbin, spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said at Friday's media briefing that China has always decided its position and policy based on the facts of the issue at hand and stands on the side of peace and justice. He added that China believes that the Ukraine issue has a complicated history and that the legitimate security concerns of all parties should be respected and the Cold War mentality should be completely abandoned. 

The comprehensive settlement of the issue should be sought through dialogue and negotiations so as to form a balanced, effective and sustainable European security mechanism, Wang said, noting that China's approach formed a sharp contrast with what some countries have been doing in trying to benefit from the crisis. 

He believes that the international community will come to a fair conclusion on what approach is more conducive to the security and stability of Europe. 

Wang's remarks came after White House spokeswoman Jan Psaki said at a news briefing on Thursday that "this is really a moment for China, for any country, about what side of history they want to stand on here."

Wang said that the door to a peaceful settlement of the Ukraine issue has not been completely closed. China hopes that relevant parties remain calm and rational and commit to peacefully resolving relevant issues through negotiations in accordance with the principles of the UN Charter, he said, noting China will continue to promote peace talks in its own way and welcomes and encourages all efforts for a diplomatic settlement. 

Europe has imposed financial sanctions against Russia for its military operation against Ukraine. On the question of whether China is worried that not condemning Russia might undermine its relations with the EU, Wang said that he believes everyone is familiar with the results of the sanctions. 

Wang said that sanctions are never the fundamental and effective approach in solving problems and that they only result in severe difficulties to local economies and livelihoods. China urged relevant sides to have a thorough thought and try to solve the issue through dialogue and negotiation. 

Global Times