Photo:Xinhua

The Red Cross Society of China will provide a batch of emergency humanitarian supplies to Ukraine as soon as possible, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a virtual press conference on Monday on the sidelines of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress in Beijing.

The situation in Ukraine has become what it is today for a variety of complex reasons, and what is needed to solve such a complex issue is a cool head and a rational mind, not adding fuel to the fire which only intensifies the situation, Wang told the press conference. 

"China believes that the more tense the situation, the more important the talks. The wider the disagreement, the greater the need to sit down and have negotiations," he said. 

China is prepared to continue playing a constructive role to facilitate dialogue for peace and work alongside the international community when needed to carry out necessary mediation, Wang noted. 

As the conflict is ongoing, the Russian military will hold fire and open humanitarian corridors in several Ukrainian cities including the capital Kiev at 10:00 Moscow time on Monday, the Interfax news agency cited Russia's defense ministry as saying.

During the conference, Wang Yi also laid out six initiatives on the humanitarian assistance to Ukraine. Wang said the process should respect the principles of justice and neutrality; pay full attention to homeless people in Ukraine; protect civilians to avoid secondary humanitarian disasters; ensure humanitarian aid to take place smoothly; ensure the safety of foreigners in Ukraine; and support the UN to coordinate on humanitarian aid to Ukraine. 

China believes that to resolve the current crisis, we must uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and respect and protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, Wang noted. "We must settle disputes by peaceful means, through dialogue and negotiation, and we must keep in mind the long-term peace and stability of the region and put in place a balanced, effective and sustainable European security mechanism," Wang said. 

When some foreign reporters connected the Ukraine crisis with the Taiwan question, the Chinese Foreign Minister said the Taiwan question and the Ukraine issue "are different in nature and are not comparable at all." 

Some people, while being vocal about the principle of sovereignty on the Ukraine issue, have kept undermining China's sovereignty and territorial integrity on the Taiwan question, Wang said, noting that this is a blatant act of double standards. 

"Taiwan's future and hope lies in the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations and reunification with the mainland, not in counting on the empty promises of external forces," he said, noting that seeking foreign support to gain "independence" is a dead end for Taiwan and the scheme to use Taiwan island to contain China is doomed to fail.