Wang Yi Talks with Ukrainian Foreign Minister... Similar to Call a Month Ago

Chief Wang, "Consistent Support for Peace Talks, No Desire to Escalate Situation, Maintaining Europe's Permanent Security"
Interpreted as Diplomatic Engineering Talk to Dispel Suspicion from the US and Western Allies

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] Chinese state-run Xinhua News Agency and other Chinese media reported on the 5th that Wang Yi, China's Foreign Minister, had a phone call with Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine's Foreign Minister, the previous day. This call between the two ministers came about a month after their last conversation on March 1.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Chinese media reported that Wang explained China's basic stance on the Ukraine issue and said that dialogue is necessary to resolve the problem.

In the call, Minister Wang emphasized, "China's position against war is consistent," and stated, "China does not pursue geopolitical interests regarding the Ukraine issue." He added that China will not take actions that escalate the problem and that what China sincerely hopes for is peace. He also said, "China welcomes peace talks between Russia and Ukraine," emphasizing that despite difficulties and hardships, dialogue should continue in a direction that can achieve a ceasefire and peace.

Minister Wang also said, "The war is destined to end," and "The key is to maintain lasting security in Europe." Chinese media reported that Wang conveyed to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba China's position that a sustainable European security mechanism based on equal dialogue must truly be established.

Wang particularly stressed that China is willing to maintain an objective and fair stance and will continue to play a constructive role in its own way.

Judging only from the content of the call reported by Chinese media, there is no change from a month ago.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In a call on the 1st of last month, Minister Wang also said, "China has always respected the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries," and expressed hope that Ukraine would find a solution through negotiations with Russia. He also stated that China supports all constructive efforts by the international community that help political resolution. At that time, Wang said the top priority was to prevent the situation from becoming uncontrollable and that China would provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

The prevailing view is that this recent call by Minister Wang was conducted from a diplomatic engineering perspective to dispel suspicions from the United States and other Western countries that China might be covertly supporting Russia. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a major G2 country, China’s call is seen as a kind of gesture to show that it is not unilaterally siding with Russia.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a presidential decree the previous day titled "On Visa Response Measures Related to Unfriendly Actions by Foreign States." This decree suspends agreements to simplify visa issuance procedures for countries unfriendly to Russia. It is interpreted as a retaliatory measure against countries that have imposed economic sanctions on Russia.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.