“China is deeply concerned”
Beijing quietly criticizes Moscow’s actions
02/26/2022, 02:20 am
The UN Security Council cannot agree to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine. China abstained from voting instead of siding with Moscow. Afterwards there are even critical tones from Beijing’s ambassador to the Kremlin.
After cautiously distancing itself from Russia in the Security Council, China has been critical of the war in Ukraine. “China is deeply concerned about the recent developments in the situation in Ukraine. Now we have reached a point that we do not want to see,” UN Ambassador Zhang Jun said at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Friday (local time).
“We believe that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states should be respected and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter should all be upheld.” We support negotiations between Russia and Ukraine to resolve the conflict.
Beijing previously abstained from voting on a resolution against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, instead of vetoing it with its partner Moscow. Western diplomats saw this as a success in their attempt to diplomatically isolate Russia and drive a wedge between Moscow and Beijing.
In the middle of the week, China accused the United States of exacerbating the situation in the Ukraine crisis with sanctions against Russia and arms deliveries to Kiev. The US actions “raise tensions” and “create panic,” said State Department spokeswoman Hua Chunying. “If someone adds fuel to the fire and blames others, then this behavior is irresponsible and immoral.”
At a meeting of their heads of state in Beijing in early February, Russia and China closed ranks on the Ukraine crisis and other security issues. Presidents Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping issued a joint statement in which they called, among other things, for NATO expansion to be halted.