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Will there be a turning point in the Russia-Ukraine peace talks? How do you look at the issue of territorial sovereignty? China responded

Li Hui, special representative of the Chinese government for Eurasian affairs, was interviewed by Brazil's Folha de São Paulo

On August 1, 2024, Li Hui, Special Representative of the Chinese Government for Eurasian Affairs, was interviewed by Folha São Paulo, the largest newspaper in Brazil. The full text of the interview is as follows:

1. China has launched four rounds of shuttle diplomacy on the Ukraine crisis. Why did you choose Brazil, South Africa, and Indonesia as countries of the "Global South" this time? You met yesterday with His Excellency Amorim, Principal Special Adviser to the President, can you tell us more about that?

Since the full escalation of the crisis in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the war has continued for nearly two and a half years, and there is still no sign of stopping, and the prospects for peace talks are still very uncertain. According to China's recent communication with all parties, the international community is generally concerned about the risk of further escalation of the conflict and spillover, and more and more countries believe that the top priority is to de-escalate the situation.

The Ukraine crisis is the largest geopolitical conflict since the end of the Cold War, and its impact is global, no country can stay out of it, and the food security and energy security of developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America have been seriously impacted. Brazil, South Africa, Indonesia and China are all important members of the "Global South" and are important forces in promoting world peace and development. We all adhere to an objective and impartial position on the Ukraine crisis and are committed to promoting a political settlement through dialogue and negotiation. It is against this backdrop that I have launched the fourth round of shuttle diplomacy to further exchange views with partners in the "Global South" such as Pakistan, Yugoslavia and Indonesia on the current situation and the process of peace talks, and to explore ways to de-escalate the situation and accumulate conditions for the resumption of peace talks. I believe that the more people who call together on the crisis in Ukraine, the greater the hope that the situation will cool down, and the closer the day will be when peace talks will be resumed and peace will be restored.

A few days ago, I met with Amorim, Chief Special Adviser to the President of Brazil, Ibraín, Presidential Foreign Affairs Adviser, and Saboa, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brazil, and our dialogue was friendly, in-depth and fruitful, and we agreed that we should continue to work together to promote the "six-point consensus" in bilateral and multilateral forums.

On May 23, China and Pakistan jointly issued a "six-point consensus", the first of which is the "three principles" calling for the situation to de-escalate, that is, no spillover of the battlefield, no escalation of the fighting, and no fire on all sides, which is in response to the practical needs of the temporary ceasefire. The second is the "three elements" of peace talks that China adheres to, namely, "recognition by Russia and Ukraine, equal participation by all parties, and fair discussion of all peace plans". In addition, the "six-point consensus" also includes "three demands", namely, increasing humanitarian assistance, avoiding attacks on civilian facilities, protecting women and children, and supporting the exchange of prisoners of war between parties to the conflict; The "three oppositions" are against the use of weapons of mass destruction, nuclear proliferation, and attacks on nuclear power plants and civilian nuclear facilities; The "three maintenances" are to maintain energy, finance, trade, and food security, maintain the security of critical infrastructure, and maintain the stability of global industrial and supply chains. The "six-point consensus" has received positive responses from more than 110 countries, once again showing that the "six-point consensus" meets the common expectations of most countries and is the greatest common denominator of the international community on the issue of the Ukraine crisis. In the next step, China and Brazil will push UN Secretary-General António Guterres to circulate the "six-point consensus" as an official document at the UN General Assembly, and call on more members of the international community to join in. At present, the representatives of China and Pakistan have sent a joint letter to the Secretary-General himself, believing that they will receive a positive response in the near future, which is also the contribution made by China and Pakistan to world peace on the occasion of the 50 th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

2. China has recently played an important role in mediating in the Middle East, but at present, the Middle East issue seems to be derailed again. On the Ukraine crisis, Ukraine Foreign Minister Kuleba expressed his willingness to carry out dialogue with Russia during his recent visit to China, and the Russian side also welcomed this.

From supporting Saudi Arabia and Iran in promoting the process of improving relations, to hosting reconciliation and dialogue among Palestinian factions, to promoting a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, China has always adhered to an objective and fair position, always stood on the side of peace, always worked hard to build consensus among the international community, fully implemented the Global Security Initiative put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping, and urged the international community to work together to inject more stability and positive energy into the turbulent and changing era and the chaotic world. In the process of promoting peace talks on the Ukraine crisis, China's efforts have been unswerving and consistent, as evidenced by these four rounds of shuttle diplomacy.

There are no simple solutions to complex problems. The crisis in Ukraine has developed to this day and cannot be solved overnight. Some countries view conflicts with a Cold War mentality and advocate bloc confrontation, which does not help resolve the crisis. Despite the twists and turns on the road to peace, China is willing to pave the way for a ceasefire and an end to hostilities. As long as it is conducive to easing the situation and promoting negotiations, China is willing to do it. The international community should also stand on the side of peaceful dialogue and oppose adding fuel to the fire and accumulating conditions for a final settlement of the crisis. This is like persuasion, you may not be able to pull it for a while, but you still have to pull it. The more people you pull, the more likely it is to work.

I believe that the international community has also noted that both Russia and Ukraine have been sending signals of their willingness to negotiate recently, and at the same time reiterating their respective positions and conditions, and the road to peace may still be complicated and tortuous. However, China is willing to do anything that is conducive to easing the situation and promoting negotiations. The international community should also stand on the side of peaceful dialogue, oppose adding fuel to the fire, and accumulate conditions for the resumption of direct dialogue and negotiation between the two sides and a final political settlement.

Third, although the results of the United States election are still unknown, the international community, especially Europe and Ukraine, has paid close attention to relevant trends and remarks. Republican presidential candidate Trump has repeatedly said that the Ukraine issue will be resolved within 24 hours of being elected. His deputy Vance has repeatedly publicly questioned the need for huge aid to Ukraine, advocating that Ukraine should consider "exchanging territory for peace." What does China think about this?

United States election is United States internal affair, and China is not interested in interfering in the internal affairs of other countries, nor does it comment. We hope that all major powers, including the United States, will exert positive energy rather than negative energy, so that there will be an early ceasefire in the conflict. On the major issue of the Ukraine crisis, China has always maintained that dialogue and negotiation are the only feasible way to resolve the Ukraine crisis. It is hoped that the international community will continue to create conditions for the resumption of direct dialogue and negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.

4. Russia was not invited to participate in the Switzerland Peace Conference, nor did China send a delegation to participate. President Zelenskyy insisted on a "10-point peace plan", while President Putin said that negotiations should be based on the realities of the new territory. How does China view the issue of territorial sovereignty? Do you think there's a middle way to solve this problem?

President Xi Jinping put forward the "four shoulds" on the Ukraine crisis, that is, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries should be respected, the purposes and principles of the UN Charter should be observed, the legitimate security concerns of all countries should be taken seriously, and all efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis should be supported, which is the fundamental principle for China to promote the political settlement of the crisis. These four elements are an indivisible and interrelated organic whole. No country can make decisions for the country concerned. The international community, especially the major countries, should adhere to the right direction of promoting peace talks, help both sides of the conflict open the door to a political settlement of the crisis as soon as possible, and create conditions and provide a platform for the resumption of negotiations.

China believes that all efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis should be supported. From the very beginning, we have attached importance to Switzerland's hosting of the Ukraine Peace Summit, and have maintained close communication with relevant parties, including Switzerland, Ukraine and Brazil, and have repeatedly stressed that the peace conference should have the three important elements of "recognition by Russia and Ukraine, equal participation of all parties, and fair discussion of all peace plans", otherwise it will be difficult to play a substantive role in restoring peace. The general membership of the international community shares the same concerns. These three points could not be achieved at this meeting, so it was difficult for China to participate, and more than half of the countries in the world did not participate, and we note that the Brazilian side was only attended by the ambassador to Switzerland as an observer.

The Ukrainian side offered to invite Russia to participate in the second peace summit, but demanded that Russia abide by the consensus reached at the first peace conference, which is based on President Zelensky's "10-point peace plan". The Russian side categorically refused, saying that it would not participate in the relevant meetings of the nature of "ultimatums" and would not consider the previous plans of the Ukrainian side. There is no simple solution to complex problems, and I believe that Russia and Ukraine will have political wisdom to finally achieve a political solution.

(The reporter asked, is China's position to cease fire first and then negotiate peace?) I would like to reiterate that the international community, including China and Brazil, generally believes that the most urgent thing at present is to de-escalate the situation, accumulate conditions for a ceasefire and end the fighting, and the ultimate goal is to achieve a political solution to the crisis in Ukraine.

5. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said yesterday that China can do more than mediate and mediate, but should use its special relationship with Russia to push Russia to reach an agreement as soon as possible. Do you have any comment?

China and Russia are both big countries, permanent members of the UN Security Council, and equal and independent sovereign states. What the Russian side does, they don't need the Chinese side to decide for them. I want to stress that China is not the creator of the Ukraine crisis, nor is it a party to it, but we have not watched the fire from the other side, but insisted on making peace talks, promoting a political solution to the crisis, and playing a positive role in achieving peace.

6. United States criticized the rapid growth of China-Russia trade since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, which has actually helped the development of the Russian military industry and supported Russia's war against Ukraine, so sanctions have been imposed on some Chinese companies. What do you think about this?

China is a major country with the best record of peace and security, never provides lethal weapons to any party to a conflict, and strictly controls the export of dual-use items, including civilian drones. The US has hyped up and smeared China's military support for Russia, but has never given any substantive evidence. According to various data, more than 60% of Russia's imported weapons parts and dual-use items come from the United States and the West, and Ukraine itself has disclosed that most of the key components of Russian equipment destroyed on the battlefield come from the West.

It is our legitimate right for China and your country to carry out normal economic and trade cooperation with Russia on the basis of equality and mutual benefit, and we will never tolerate smearing, interference or coercion from the outside world. Moreover, the United States and Europe themselves continue to maintain close trade ties with Russia, and last year's trade volume with Russia reached more than $130 billion, accounting for nearly 20 percent of Russia's total foreign trade. If we follow United States set of logic, are the United States and Europe themselves supporting Russia in developing its military industry and using troops against Ukraine? Do they want to sanction their own businesses? In the face of such absurd remarks and blatant double standards, we should resolutely refute them and safeguard the common legitimate interests of the countries of the "Global South" and international fairness and justice.

7. United States President Joe Biden has said more than once that Russia's success in Ukraine may stimulate China to accelerate the reunification of Taiwan. What do you think?

I would like to stress that the fundamental nature of the Taiwan issue is completely different from that of Ukraine. Some people in the United States have repeatedly linked two unrelated matters together and taken the opportunity to smear and attack China, which is purely ulterior motives. Taiwan is an inalienable part of the territory of the People's Republic of China, and the Taiwan issue is purely China's internal affair and brooks no foreign interference. We will take effective measures against any "Taiwan independence" act that attempts to split China and resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

8. United States the establishment of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) in the Indo-Pacific region, the AUKUS alliance, nuclear sharing with Korea, and the promotion of NATO's military presence in the Indo-Pacific, which NATO also called a challenger during the recent Washington summit. What does China think about this? If this bloc confrontation mentality of the new Cold War continues, how can the world avoid falling into the "Thucydides trap"?

NATO, a remnant of the Cold War and the world's largest military bloc, claims to be a "regional and defensive" organization, but over the years it has been expanding its power across borders, creating "small circles" in the Asia-Pacific region, exaggerating tensions and inciting bloc confrontation. History proves that wherever NATO's black hand reaches, there will be turmoil and chaos. NATO's conspiracy to expand and advocate bloc confrontation deserves vigilance from all sides. We hope that the US side will do more things that are conducive to international and regional peace and stability.

In the face of a chaotic world, President Xi Jinping put forward the Global Security Initiative, advocating adherence to the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, abandoning the Cold War mentality, opposing unilateralism, and refraining from bloc politics and bloc confrontation. This initiative transcends Western geopolitical security theory and zero-sum game logic, embodies the core essence of the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind, is another international public good provided by China to the world, and is also an answer to the question of the "Thucydides trap".

9. Another question on the Indo-Pacific situation: How does China view the signing of the mutual defense agreement between Russia and the DPRK?

This is a matter of bilateral cooperation between the DPRK and Russia, and I will not comment on it.

10. Although the current Russian-Ukrainian peace talks are facing many difficulties, we have seen that a number of meetings on Ukraine have been held recently, and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba has also released positive signals for peace talks during his visit to China. Do you think the dawn of peace is nearer?

China welcomes and supports all efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis, appreciates the constructive role played by the vast number of developing countries, Hungary and other countries in seeking peace, and calls on peace-loving and justice-upholding countries around the world to make more rational voices to persuade and promote peace talks, so as to prevent the crisis from further expanding and spreading, triggering more spillover effects, and having a greater impact on world peace and stability.

Recently, Russia and Ukraine have continued to speak out on the issue of peace talks, indicating that the willingness of both sides to hold peace talks is on the rise. The international community should create conditions and provide assistance for the resumption of direct dialogue and negotiations between the two sides. Only if all the major powers exert positive energy rather than negative energy can there be an early ceasefire in this conflict. We are ready to maintain communication with all parties concerned, including Brazil, and jointly promote the development of the situation in the direction of a political settlement.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs website

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