Russia Ukraine War: China's Xi speaks with Macron, Scholz; calls for 'maximum restraint'

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday held a virtual dialogue with French and German counterparts Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz in a video summit. Jinping asked the EU allied leaders to show “maximum restraint” over Ukraine, adding that the current crisis is “deeply worrying”. The Chinese president expressed concerns about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the impact of the conflict on the globe.

Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine on Feb 24 and has entered into the 13th day of the all-out assault on the civilian cities in Ukraine. UN recently informed in a report that the number of refugees that have fled the war atrocities into neighbouring nations has crossed two million. UN labelled the Ukrainian exodus as the fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War II.

Xi tells Macron, Sholz Beijing wants two sides to 'maintain momentum of negotiations'

While China has largely remained neutral in its stance on the Russian invasion, as it is a strong ally of Russia, Xi Jinping on Monday signalled that he wanted “the two sides to maintain the momentum of negotiations, overcome difficulties and continue the talks to achieve results”, according to state broadcaster CCTV. “We would like to call for maximum restraint to prevent a large-scale humanitarian crisis,” he said. Xi added that “the current situation in Ukraine is deeply worrying” and China is “grieved that there is a renewed war on the European continent”. Beijing also plans to send humanitarian aid to Ukraine. 

Xi’s talks with the French and German counterparts come after Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters that China was open to helping mediate peace and bring an end to the hostilities. When accused by Australia of not imposing sanctions on Russia for war crimes, Wang Yi, in his response, said that Beijing’s relationship with its neighbour remains “rock solid”. Wang also asserted that relations between Beijing and Moscow must be free of "interference from third parties.” EU had earlier called on China to mediate and push Russian leader Vladimir Putin to end the offensive in the war-torn eastern European country. Asserting that Moscow must immediately observe a ceasefire, halt military shellings and missile attacks on civilian infrastructure, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen asked Beijing, a Russian ally, to intervene, given its strategic and 'rock solid' ties with Russia. China and India have both abstained from voting at the United Nations resolution to condemn Putin's military advancement in Ukraine.