Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian Photo: fmprc.gov.cn

When asked whether China's position on the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is awkward, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said China's position is as open, fair and objective as it has always been. 

"Countries that believe they have won the Cold War so they can dominate the world, countries neglect others' concern and pushed for five rounds of NATO expansion and countries that have waged wars around the world but blamed others, should truly feel uncomfortable," Zhao said at a routine Foreign Ministry news conference on Thursday.

Regarding the issue in Ukraine, China has been calling on the international community to focus on "promoting peace and talks" and "preventing a large-scale humanitarian crisis," and has made a lot of efforts. China has put forward a six-point initiative to alleviate the current crisis in Ukraine and has taken practical actions. 

Zhao said that he heard even cats, dogs, and trees in Russia are being sanctioned, along with Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake.

"Tchaikovsky is a famous composer who died more than 100 years ago. What is his crime?" Zhao asked. "Swan Lake is a world masterpiece. What is its crime?"

Zhao Lijian noted that China's position on the peace talks has been consistent. "You can check China's previous statements on hotspot issues related to Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, and Palestine."

However, the US and NATO's position is clearly hypocritical, especially when associated with the racist tendencies that drip from some Western media reports, Zhao said.

"Were you similarly so concerned about the casualties of the Iraqi, Syrian, Afghan and Palestinian people in the past? Did they mean nothing to you?" Zhao asked. "Did you care nothing about these civilian casualties in Yugoslavia in 1999?"

The spokesperson said that China firmly rejects US State Secretary Antony Blinken's comment that China's unwillingness to condemn Russia is inconsistent with China's position on the UN charter. 

"The remarks are a smear against China, fully revealing its Cold War mentality and group confrontation ideology of the US, and such remarks are not helpful to solving the problem."

Zhao stressed that as a responsible power, China will continue to play a constructive role in maintaining world peace and stability.

Global Times