China would have tried to prevent Ukraine ‘crisis’ had it known about it: Report
In an opinion piece for the Washington Post, the Chinese ambasssador to the US, Qin Gang, denied that China had known about the attack beforehand and said any reports claiming that it did were “disinformation”
If China had known about the “imminent crisis” in Ukraine, it would have tried its best to prevent it, the Chinese ambassador to the United States, Qin Gang, wrote in a piece published by the Washington Post on Wednesday, the latest denial from Beijing that it was privy to Moscow’s plans to invade its neighbour.
“Had China known about the imminent crisis, we would have tried our best to prevent it,” Qin wrote in opinion piece, abiding by China’s position to not define Russia’s actions an invasion.
His denial followed several reports in western media outlets suggesting that officials from Russia and China were in contact about Moscow’s plans to invade, especially against the backdrop of Russia’s President Vladimir Putin’s meeting with President Xi Jinping when Putin was in Beijing to attend the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics in early February. Reports earlier this week also alleged that Beijing had shown a willingness to comply with a request from Moscow for military and financial aid in the war. Beijing has staunchly denied the reports.
“Recent rumours further claimed that Russia was seeking military assistance from China. Let me say this responsibly: Assertions that China knew about, acquiesced to or tacitly supported this war are purely disinformation. All these claims serve only the purpose of shifting blame to and slinging mud at China,” Qin said.
“There were more than 6000 Chinese citizens in Ukraine. China is the biggest trading partner of both Russia and Ukraine, and the largest importer of crude oil and natural gas in the world,” Qin said, arguing that “conflict between Russia and Ukraine does no good for China.”
He said China is committed to the principle of respecting “the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, including Ukraine”.
China has made “huge efforts” to push for peace talks and the prevention of a humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, Qin said, citing a Xi-Putin phone call on the second day of the invasion where the Chinese President said Beijing was keen to see Russia-Ukraine peace talks at the earliest.
Qin’s comments also come two days after a meeting between China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi and US national security advisor Jake Sullivan, in Rome, where Sullivan told Yang that China would face severe “consequences” if it helped Russia evade sanctions. In turn, Yang said that “China firmly opposes any words and deeds that spread disinformation and distort and smear China’s position” on Ukraine.
Qin also reiterated China’s strong opposition against economic sanctions in the article.
“Neither war nor sanctions can deliver peace. Wielding the baton of sanctions at Chinese companies while seeking China’s support and cooperation simply won’t work,” he said.
He also warned against linking Ukraine and Taiwan, a self-governed democracy claimed by China as its own territory.
“Some people are linking Taiwan and Ukraine to play up the risks of a conflict in the Taiwan Strait. This is a mistake. These are totally different things,” Qin said.
“Ukraine is a sovereign state, while Taiwan is an inseparable part of China’s territory. The Taiwan question is a Chinese internal affair. It does not make sense for people to emphasize the principle of sovereignty on Ukraine while hurting China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity on Taiwan,” he said.