China voiced support for peace overtures from the United States toward Russia regarding the war in Ukraine.
Speaking at the G20 meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi voiced his country’s support for the new direct peace talks between Washington and Moscow. He also pledged to play a “constructive role” in bringing an end to the war.
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“China supports all efforts conducive to peace [in Ukraine], including the recent consensus reached between the United States and Russia,” Wang told the other attending foreign ministers. “China is willing to continue playing a constructive role in the political resolution of the crisis,”
A week prior, Beijing said Ukraine must be involved in any further peace negotiations — Ukraine was not present at the first round of talks between Trump administration and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia this week.
Cui Hongjan, head of European Union studies at Beijing Foreign Studies University, said that China will “pay close attention to the direction of negotiations and the direction of easing of U.S.-Russian relations,” according to Reuters.
“If China participates in mediation, it can reduce the risk of the United States using the easing of relations with Russia to harm China’s interests,” he added.
After the U.S.-led Western coalition severed ties with Russia following its Feb. 24, 2022 invasion of Ukraine, China has become a vital ally to Russia, filling the vacuum. Trade with China has helped Russia weather the most extensive sanctions in history as the war approaches its third anniversary.
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Trump had repeatedly called for an end to the War in Ukraine as soon as possible during his campaign, but his move to begin direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin shocked Ukraine and its European allies.
In recent days, Trump began publicly bashing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, deriding him as a “dictator” and accusing him of starting the war. State Secretary Marco Rubio elaborated in an interview that Washington had grown frustrated with Zelensky after several perceived slights, including an instance where he had allegedly reversed course on a critical mineral deal publicly after assuring the administration that he approved of it.
