Peter Okoye, PBA Journalism Mentee
The Chinese government has pledged not to provide weapons in support of the ongoing war between Russia and their neighbouring country, Ukraine.
This was disclosed by Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang during his talk with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock in Beijing.
“We do not and will not supply weapons to parties in conflict,” he said.
He added that the dual-use goods, which could be for civilian as well as military purposes, were controlled by law.
The Chinese role in Ukraine was to promote reconciliation and advance peace negotiations, said Qin Gang.
“We will not continue to pour oil on the fire,” he said.
His comments came after Baerbock urged China to encourage Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the Kremlin’s war on Ukraine.
She said Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow had shown that no other country had more influence on Russia than China.
“The decision on how it uses this influence directly affects Europe’s core interests,” Baerbock said.
Just as China had successfully engaged in peaceful reconciliation between Iran and Saudi Arabia, it was hoped that China would encourage Russia to finally end its aggression in Ukraine and engage in peaceful conflict resolution, she added.
She said China, as a permanent member of the Security Council, also had a special responsibility.
She commended Beijing for signalling its commitment to finding a solution, referring to a 12-point position paper issued by China that was criticised in the West.
“But I have to say frankly that I wonder why the Chinese positioning so far does not include calling on the aggressor Russia to stop the war.
“We all know President Putin will have the opportunity to do that at any time,” Baerbock said.
She said it was equally crucial “not to allow arms shipments to Russia that further prolong this aggression and also to prevent dual-use goods from being used for war.
