President Xi Jinping will hold talks in Moscow later on Monday as part of China’s bid to reach a political settlement to Ukraine’s more than year-long war that began after Russia invaded the country in February 2022.
Xi will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin at 3pm local time (12pm GMT).
Xi has said China’s proposals offer a “constructive” way to end the crisis, but warned that “complex problems have no simple solutions”.
Here is the full text of China’s position on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, as published on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
1. Respect for the sovereignty of all countries. Universally recognized international law, including the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, must be strictly observed. The sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries must be effectively maintained. All countries, large or small, strong or weak, rich or poor, are equal members of the international community. All parties must jointly uphold basic standards of international relations and defend international fairness and justice. Equal and uniform application of international law should be promoted, using double standards.
2. Giving up the Cold War mentality. The security of a country should not be pursued at the expense of others. The security of a region should not be achieved by strengthening or expanding military blocs. The legitimate security interests and concerns of all countries must be taken seriously and properly addressed. There is no simple solution to a complex problem. All parties should help to build a balanced, effective and sustainable European security architecture, in the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security and taking into account the long-term peace and stability of the world. All sides must oppose the pursuit of their own security at the expense of others, avoid bloc clashes and work together for peace and stability on the Eurasian continent.
3. Cessation of hostilities. No one benefits from conflicts and wars. All parties must remain rational and exercise restraint, not fanning the flames and exacerbating tensions, and prevent the crisis from worsening or even spiraling out of control. All parties must support Russia and Ukraine to work in the same direction and resume direct dialogue as soon as possible, to gradually de-escalate the situation and eventually reach a comprehensive ceasefire.
4. Resume peace talks. Dialogue and negotiation are the only viable solution to the crisis in Ukraine. All efforts conducive to a peaceful resolution of the crisis should be encouraged and supported. The international community must remain committed to the right approach to advancing peace negotiations, help the parties to the conflict to open the door to a political settlement as soon as possible, and create conditions and platforms for the resumption of negotiations. China will continue to play a constructive role in this regard.
5. Solving the humanitarian crisis. All measures that contribute to alleviating the humanitarian crisis should be encouraged and supported. Humanitarian operations must follow the principles of neutrality and impartiality, and humanitarian issues must not be politicised. The security of civilians must be effectively protected and humanitarian corridors must be established for the evacuation of civilians from conflict zones. Efforts are needed to increase humanitarian aid to relevant areas, improve humanitarian conditions and provide quick, safe and unimpeded humanitarian access, with a view to preventing a wider humanitarian crisis. The UN should be supported in playing a coordinating role in channeling humanitarian aid to conflict zones.
6. Protection of civilians and prisoners of war (POWs). Parties to the conflict must strictly comply with international humanitarian law, avoid attacks on civilians or civilian facilities, protect women, children and other victims of the conflict, and respect the basic rights of prisoners of war. China supports the exchange of prisoners of war between Russia and Ukraine and calls on all parties to create more favorable conditions for this.
7. Keep nuclear power plants safe. China opposes armed attacks on nuclear power plants or other peaceful nuclear installations, and calls on all parties to abide by international law, including the Treaty on Nuclear Safety (CNS), and to resolutely avoid man-made nuclear accidents. China supports the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in playing a constructive role in promoting the safety and security of peaceful nuclear facilities.
8. Reducing strategic risks. No nuclear weapons may be used and no nuclear wars may be fought. The threat or use of nuclear weapons must be combated. Nuclear proliferation must be prevented and nuclear crisis must be avoided. China opposes the research, development and use of chemical and biological weapons by any country under any circumstances.
9. Facilitating grain exports. All parties should implement the Black Sea Grain Initiative signed by Russia, Türkiye, Ukraine and the UN in a balanced, full and effective manner and support the UN to play an important role in this. The collaborative initiative on global food security proposed by China offers a viable solution to the global food crisis.
10. End unilateral sanctions. Unilateral sanctions and maximum pressure will not solve the problem; they only create new problems. China opposes unilateral sanctions not approved by the UN Security Council. Relevant countries must stop abusing unilateral sanctions and “long-arm jurisdiction” against other countries, to play their part in de-escalating the Ukraine crisis and to create conditions for developing countries to grow their economies and improve the lives of their people.
11. Keep industrial and supply chains stable. All parties must seriously uphold the existing world economic system and oppose the use of the world economy as a tool or weapon for political ends. Joint efforts are needed to limit the spillover effects of the crisis and prevent it from disrupting international cooperation in energy, finance, food trade and transport and undermining the global economic recovery.
12. Promoting post-conflict reconstruction. The international community must take measures to support post-conflict reconstruction in conflict areas. China stands ready to provide assistance and play a constructive role in this.
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