Beijing believes the West should address Moscow’s “legitimate security demands”
China said on Saturday that Western sanctions slapped on Russia over its military operation in Ukraine will not solve the crisis. Many countries have imposed sweeping restrictions on Moscow, hitting its banks, trade, and largest airline, among other things. Foreign Minister Wang Yi made his comments during a phone call with his German counterpart, Annalena Baerbock.
According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Wang said “China doesn’t support the use of sanctions to solve problems, and even more so opposes unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law.”
“It’s been long proven that sanctions not only fail to solve [existing] problems, but create news ones, resulting ‘lose-lose’ effects on the economy and interfering in the process of political settlement,” he added.
The minister said China opposes both the use of force and sanctions regarding Ukraine. He argued that Russia’s “legitimate security demands” on NATO’s eastward expansion “should be properly addressed.” Moscow said it seeks legally binding assurances that NATO will never accept Ukraine as a member state and will pull its troops from Eastern Europe – demands that the US-led bloc rejects.
The US, Britain, EU member states, and several other countries imposed new sweeping sanctions on Moscow after it launched a military operation against Kiev on Thursday. Russia argued that the move was necessary to defend the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, which broke off from Ukraine after the 2014 coup in Kiev. Ukraine said the attack by Russia was entirely unprovoked.
Russia vetoed a UN Security Council draft resolution condemning its operation in Ukraine on Friday, while China abstained from voting.
According to Berlin, during her phone call with Wang, Baerbock “stressed that China bears a special responsibility” for the events in Ukraine as a permanent member of the UN’s top decision-making body.
As the conflict in Ukraine deepens and the COVID-19 pandemic wears on, the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva is gearing up to hold its annual month-long session, which begins on Monday.
A UN project, in association with one of India’s leading clean energy companies, is training women salt farmers in the Indian state of Gujarat to work in the solar power industry, and build a better life.
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In cities across continents, protesters are standing in solidarity against the Russian invasion of Ukraine and condemning Russian President Vladimir Putin.
If confirmed, the launch would be the latest in a string of Pyongyang’s missile tests towards the Sea of Japan
North Korea has reportedly fired a projectile eastward, according to a South Korean military alert. The launch took place on Sunday morning, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
In its own assessment, Japan’s Coast Guard noted that the projectile might be a ballistic missile.
If confirmed, the launch would become North Korea’s eights missile test since the beginning of the year. Pyongyang refrained from missile activity during the recent Beijing Winter Olympics that wrapped up last week in what some experts believe was a nod to Beijing.
The Sunday’s launch also comes shortly after Chinese President XI Jinping vowed to step up “friendship and cooperation” with North Korea in a “new situation.” It’s unclear if the Chinese leader was specifically referring to the ongoing military conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
China is North Korea’s biggest trading partner, and it is estimated that Beijing is responsible for about 90% of the reclusive nation’s trade. The cross-border trade between China and North Korea, which is under heavy international sanctions for its missile and nuclear testing activity, resumed last month after Pyongyang lifted some of its strict coronavirus restrictions.
A UN project, in association with one of India’s leading clean energy companies, is training women salt farmers in the Indian state of Gujarat to work in the solar power industry, and build a better life.
