China has called for a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia and the opening of peace talks as part of a 12-point proposal to end the fighting that started one year ago.
While saying it has a neutral stance, China has also said it has a “no limits” relationship with Russia and has refused to criticise its invasion of Ukraine or even refer to it as such.
It has accused the West of provoking the conflict and “fanning the flames” by providing Ukraine with defensive arms. The US has also said China may be preparing to provide Russia with military aid, something Beijing says lacks evidence.
Given China’s positions, there are doubts over whether its proposal has any chance — and whether China can be seen as an honest broker.
China and Russia have increasingly aligned their foreign policies to oppose the US-led liberal international order. Foreign minister Wang Yi reaffirmed the strength of their bilateral ties when he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow this week.
State Department spokesman Ned Price had said earlier on Thursday that the US would reserve judgment on the proposal but that China’s allegiance with Russia meant it was not a neutral mediator.
He said: “We would like to see nothing more than a just and durable peace… but we are sceptical that reports of a proposal like this will be a constructive path forward.”
Mr Price added that the US hopes “all countries that have a relationship with Russia unlike the one that we have will use that leverage, will use that influence to push Russia meaningfully and usefully to end this brutal war of aggression.
“(China) is in a position to do that in ways that we just aren’t.”
Before the proposal was released, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy had called it an important first step to have China involved.
“I think that, in general, the fact that China started talking about peace in Ukraine, I think that it is not bad,” he said at a news conference on Thursday with Spain’s prime minister.
“It is important for us that all states are on our side, on the side of justice.”
The 12-point plan issued on Friday morning by China’s Foreign Ministry also urges the end of Western sanctions imposed on Russia and includes measures to keep nuclear facilities safe, establish humanitarian corridors for civilians and ensure the export of grain after disruptions inflated global food prices.
Other points call for protection for prisoners of war and stopping attacks on civilians.
It mainly elaborated on long-held Chinese positions, including that all countries’ “sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity” be guaranteed.
“Dialogue and negotiation are the only viable way out to resolve the Ukraine crisis,” the proposal said.
It offered no details on what form talks should take, any preconditions or which countries should be involved, but said “China is willing to continue to play a constructive role in this regard”.
It also called for an end to the “Cold War mentality” — China’s standard term for what it regards as US hegemony, interference in other countries’ affairs and maintenance of alliances such as Nato.
China abstained on Thursday when the UN General Assembly approved a non-binding resolution that calls for Russia to end hostilities in Ukraine and withdraw its forces. It is one of 16 countries that either voted against or abstained on almost all of five previous resolutions on Ukraine.
The resolution, drafted by Ukraine in consultation with its allies, passed 141-7 with 32 abstentions, sending a strong message on the eve of the first anniversary of the invasion that appears to leave Russia more isolated than ever.
While China has not been openly critical of Moscow, it has said that the present conflict is “not something it wishes to see”, and has repeatedly said any use of nuclear weapons would be completely unacceptable, in an implied repudiation of Mr Putin’s statement that Russia would use “all available means” to protect its territory.
Ahead of Russia’s attack, Mr Xi and Mr Putin attended the opening of last year’s Winter Olympics in Beijing and issued a statement that their governments had a “no limits” friendship. China has since ignored Western criticism and reaffirmed that pledge.
Mr Putin has said he expects Mr Xi to visit Russia in the next few months. China has yet to confirm that.
