On recent international developments, the crisis in Ukraine is undoubtedly the eye of the storm at the moment. The crisis in Ukraine is evolving beyond itself, with spillover effects across the globe.

Since the crisis in Ukraine started, China has worked actively to promote dialogue for peace. On the second day of the conflict, President Xi Jinping spoke to President Vladimir Putin on the phone, proposing to Russia to hold peace talks with Ukraine, and receiving a positive response from the Russian side.Russia and Ukraine have since held several rounds of talks. At the recent virtual summit with leaders of France and Germany, President Xi Jinping emphasized support for peace negotiations. On 8th of March, President Xi Jinping had a video call with US President Joe Biden upon request. The two sides had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on China-US relations and the situation in Ukraine. The call lasted for two hours.President Xi Jinping further put forward a "China Plan" for a road to peace between Russia and Ukraine.He pointed out that the pressing priority was to keep the dialogue and negotiation going, avoid civilian casualties, prevent a humanitarian crisis, and cease hostilities as soon as possible. An enduring solution would be for major countries to respect each other, reject the Cold War mentality, refrain from bloc confrontation, and build step by step a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture for the region and for the world.

China stands for peace and opposes war. This is embedded in China’s history and culture. State-to-state relations cannot advance to the stage of confrontation, and conflicts and confrontations are not in the interests of anyone. Peace and security are the most cherished treasures of the international community. The position of China to the Ukraine issue is consistent and clear-cut. China believes that to resolve the current crisis, we must uphold the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and respect and protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries. We must adhere to the principle of indivisible security and accommodate the legitimate security concerns of the parties involved. We must settle disputes by peaceful means through dialogue and negotiation. And we must keep in mind the long-term peace and stability of the region and put in place a balanced, effective and sustainable European security architecture. As two Chinese sayings go, “It takes two hands to clap.” “He who tied the bell to the tiger must take it off.”All sides need to jointly support Russia and Ukraine in having dialogue and negotiation that will produce results and lead to peace. The US and NATO should also have dialogue with Russia to address the crux of the Ukraine crisis and ease the security concerns of both Russia and Ukraine.

China pursue no selfish interests in the Ukraine crisis. China has proposed a six-point initiative on easing the humanitarian situation in Ukraine and has taken real actions.First, make sure that humanitarian operations abide by the principles of neutrality and impartiality, and avoid politicizing humanitarian issues;Second, give full attention to the displaced persons in and from Ukraine, and provide them with proper shelter; Third, ensure the protection of civilians, and prevent secondary humanitarian disasters in Ukraine;Fourth, provide for safe and smooth humanitarian aid activities, including providing rapid, safe and unimpeded humanitarian access;Fifth, provide for the safety of foreign nationals in Ukraine, allow them safe departure and help them return to their home countries; Sixth, support the UN’s coordinating role in channeling humanitarian aid and the work of the UN Crisis Coordinator for Ukraine.The Red Cross Society of China has already sent several batches of emergency humanitarian aid supplies to the Ukrainian Red Cross, making efforts to prevent humanitarian crisis of larger scale in Ukraine.

Most countries, including developing countries like China and Iran, have rational concerns and similar positions on the Ukraine crisis. War and sanctions are not the only two options to deal with international and regional hot issues, dialogue and negotiation are the fundamental solutions. We should stick to this direction under the current situation. The momentum of world economic recovery should not be undermined. With the impact of the epidemic, the escalating unilateral sanctions will result in the rupture of the global industrial chain and supply chain, which will harm people’s livelihoods in various countries. Ordinary people of any county should not pay for the burden of geopolitical conflicts and power competition . All countries have the right to decide their own foreign policies independently and should not be forced to choose sides. While handling complex issues and different opinions, we should not adopt a simplistic approach of being either an enemy or a friend, or either black or white. In particular, we must resist the Cold War mentality and oppose camp confrontation. The sovereign independence and territorial integrity of all nations should be respected at all times. This principle should apply to all countries and regions, and there should be no exceptions or even double standards.

I must stress that the Taiwan question and the Ukraine issue are different in nature and are not comparable at all.Most fundamental difference lies in that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory, and the Taiwan question is entirely China’s internal affair, while the Ukraine issue arose from dispute between two countries, namely Russia and Ukraine. Some people, while being vocal about the principle of sovereignty on the Ukraine issue, have kept undermining China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity on the Taiwan question. This is shere double standard. The two sides across the Taiwan Strait share the same historical and cultural roots and belong to one and the same China.Taiwan’s future and hope lies in the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations and reunification with the mainland, not in counting on the empty promises of external forces. Seeking foreign support to gain independence only leads to a dead end. The scheme to use Taiwan question to contain China is doomed to fail. Taiwan will eventually return to the embrace of the motherland.