China says it does not want to see Russia losing its war against Ukraine because…
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi is said to have made the comments during a marathon four-hour debate on a wide range of geopolitical and commercial grievances with the EU’s Kaja Kallas.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi reportedly told the European Union’s top diplomat on Wednesday that Beijing does not want to see Russian’s loss in Ukraine because it feared the United States would then shift its whole focus to Beijing.
The statement contradicted Beijing’s public position of neutrality in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
However, sources told the South China Morning Post that Wang rejected allegation that China was supporting Russia’s war effort, financially or militarily — insisting that if it was doing so, the conflict would have ended long ago.
China’s Wang is said to have made the comments during a marathon four-hour debate on a wide range of geopolitical and commercial grievances with the EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas.
As per the report, the official claimed Wang’s private remarks suggested Beijing might prefer a protracted war in Ukraine that keeps the United States from focusing on its rivalry with China.
They echo concerns of critics of China’s policy that Beijing has geopolitically much more at stake in the Ukrainian conflict than its admitted position of neutrality, CNN reported.
The official told the South China Morning Post that the four-hour meeting between Wang and Kallas on Wednesday in Brussels “featured tough but respectful exchanges, covering a broad range of issues from cyber security, rare earths to trade imbalances, Taiwan and Middle East.”
On Friday, at a regular Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs briefing, spokeswoman Mao Ning re-affirmed Beijing’s long-standing position on the three-year Russia-Ukraine war.
“China is not a party to the Ukraine issue,” Mao was quoted by CNN as saying. She added, “China’s position on the Ukraine crisis is objective and consistent, that is, negotiation, ceasefire and peace. A prolonged Ukraine crisis serves no one’s interests.”
She reportedly added that China wanted a political settlement as quickly as possible: “Together with the international community and in light of the will of the parties concerned, we will continue playing a constructive role towards this end.”