Chinese authorities pledged Friday that they will not sell arms to Russia in the context of the invasion of Ukraine during the visit of German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock to Beijing, where she met with her Chinese counterpart Qin Gang.
»We have not sold and will not sell armaments to the parties involved in this conflict», Qin has asserted after almost two hours of meeting with Baerbock, to whom she has assured that the exports that can have civil and military purposes »are already controlled by the legislation» of the Asian giant.
In this sense, he has affirmed that China’s role in relation to the war is »to push for reconciliation and peace negotiations» and has assured that »they are not going to add fuel to the fire» after Baerbock has urged Beijing to ask Russian President Vladimir Putin to put an end to the war in Ukraine. »The only way to resolve the conflict is through dialogue,» he said.
Baerbock, for his part, pointed out that Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow has shown that »there is no other country that has more influence over Russia. »The decision on how to use this influence directly affects Europe’s main interests,» she said.
The minister also drew a parallel with China’s role regarding the reconciliation process between Iran and Saudi Arabia and called on the government to take similar steps on the Ukrainian issue »in order to end aggression and achieve peace». »China has a special responsibility as a member of the UN Security Council,» she added.
TAIWANESE QUESTION The Chinese minister again rejected »any interference by third countries in the Taiwan issue» as tensions in the area rise. After the meeting, Qin stressed that »they will not allow any kind of intervention from outside».
»If other countries truly respect the ‘one China’ principle, then they should reject the separatist activities in Taiwan which is the real root of this problem. China will not give up,» he said.
Baerbock expressed concern about the recent increase in tension in the Taiwan Strait and the possibility of destabilizing the area given that 50 percent of global trade passes through the strait.
»The shock wave of economic crisis that could occur would also hit China, so a terror scenario for the whole world could ensue,» she said. »Conflicts can only be resolved through peace,» she reiterated before confirming that Germany adheres to the principle of »one China»’.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
