"Peace plan" is just the title.
On the anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, China presented a 12-point “peace plan” that provides for the end of hostilities and the transition to the negotiation process. However, in Ukraine and in the West, the Chinese plan is skeptical, since it does not even indicate which country is the aggressor.
TSN.ua has collected key comments and expert opinions on China's peace initiatives.
“Playing the peacekeeper”
Director of the Center for International Studies Vladimir Dubovik during the all-Ukrainian telethon drew attention to the fact that China did not even dare to call Russia an aggressor.
“I think this is a game of peacemaker. Unfortunately, we did not expect anything else. China does not even dare to call it a war, calls it a crisis. They even refuse to honestly say who attacked whom – who is the aggressor, who is the victim. What constructive ideas He opposes unilateral sanctions. And how can one be without sanctions when there is an aggressor against whom one must somehow act?“, the expert emphasized.
In his opinion, “peace plan” may pave the way for China to take some more pro-Russian steps – probably provided assistance, including weapons”.
“They can say – the West and Ukraine rejected our peace plan, they do not listen to us, they continue to pump Ukraine with Western weapons. Therefore, we must support our strategic partner Russia. This “peace plan” is such only in name, it will not be able to lead to real peace,” Dubovik believes.
Former Foreign Minister of Ukraine Pavel Klimkin in an interview with TSN.ua expressed the opinion that the “peace plan” is designed to save Russian President Vladimir Putin from defeat.
According to the ex-Foreign Minister, he was “disturbed by the appearance of Putin” after meeting with the Chinese diplomat Wang Yi: “He was not exactly revived, but still in some mood. When Putin is in the mood , we shouldn't like it.”
“China's interest today is for Russia not to be defeated. This is a geopolitical interest, since China believes that the defeat of Russia will deprive it of a junior partner who has nowhere to go, since, as in Arab fairy tales, Putin becomes a “lamp slave” … Russia is already fundamentally dependent on China, and not only in energy exports, but the key reserve currency there is the yuan. Therefore, Putin will hold on to China today,” Klimkin said.
According to him, “China understands that Russia has nowhere to go, and will try to use it“.
“Of course, China's position – to become a player – is aimed both at trade with the West and at improving its position in the non-Western world. I think China will build a coalition of partners around its approach,” he added.
Western reaction
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that there is not much confidence in China because he failed to condemn the illegal invasion of Ukraine. He recalled that the PRC signed an agreement with Putin just a few days before the invasion.
According to Stoltenberg, the Alliance does not yet see China transferring lethal weapons to the Russian Federation.
“ But we see signs that China may be planning and considering deliveries of military aid to Russia. And China should not do this, because it will be support for an illegal invasion in violation of international law,” the Secretary General emphasized.
The administration of the American President Joe Biden reminded that the war in Ukraine may end even tomorrow, as it depends only on the President of the Russian Federation.
“The first reaction to this is that they can stop at the first point, namely respect for the sovereignty of all nations.
” strong>Ukraine did not attack Russia, NATO did not attack Russia, the USA did not attack Russia. It was a war of choice that Putin started,” said National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen rebuked China in “friendship with the Russian Federation”.
“You have to look at (the Chinese 'peace plan' – ed.) against a certain background, and this is the background against which China took sides, signing, for example, an agreement on unlimited friendship (with Moscow – ed.) before the Russian invasion began to Ukraine,” the head of the European Commission said.
12 points of China's “peace plan”
China's peace plan consists of 12 points specially prepared in Beijing for the anniversary of the invasion. Specifically, these are:
1. Respect for the sovereignty of all countries.
“Universally recognized international law, including the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, must be strictly observed. The sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries must be effectively maintained. All countries, large or small, strong or weak, rich or poor, are equal members of international society “All parties must jointly uphold the basic norms governing international relations and protect international fairness and justice. The equal and equal application of international law should be encouraged, and double standards should be eliminated.”
2. Abandoning the Cold War mentality.
“The security of the country should not be achieved at the expense of others. The security of the region should not be achieved by strengthening or expanding military blocs. The legitimate security interests and concerns of all countries should be taken seriously and properly addressed. comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and mindful of long-term peace and stability in the world, contribute to the formation of a balanced, effective and sustainable European security architecture.All parties must resist the desire for their own security at the expense of the security of others, prevent bloc confrontation and work together for peace and stability in Eurasian continent”.
3. Cessation of hostilities.
“Conflicts and wars do no one any good. All parties must maintain rationality and exercise restraint, avoid fanning the fire and exacerbate tensions, and prevent the crisis from worsening further or even spiraling out of control. All parties must support Russia and Ukraine in working in the same direction and resuming direct dialogue as soon as possible with a view to gradually de-escalating the situation and achieving a comprehensive ceasefire.”
4. Resumption of peace talks.
“Dialogue and negotiations are the only viable solution to the Ukrainian crisis. All efforts aimed at a peaceful resolution of the crisis should be encouraged and supported in order to resume negotiations. China will continue to play a constructive role in this regard.”
5. Humanitarian crisis resolution.
“All measures that contribute to the mitigation of the humanitarian crisis must be encouraged and supported. Humanitarian operations must be based on the principles of neutrality and impartiality, and humanitarian issues must not be politicized. The security of the civilian population must be effectively protected, and humanitarian corridors must be established. The UN must be supported in playing a coordinating role in sending humanitarian assistance to conflict zones.
6. Protection of civilians and prisoners of war.
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“The parties to the conflict must strictly abide by international humanitarian law, avoid attacks on civilians or civilian objects, protect women, children and other victims of the conflict, and respect the basic rights of prisoners of war. China supports the exchange of prisoners of war between Russia and Ukraine, and calls on all parties to create for this more favorable conditions”.
7. Maintaining the safety of nuclear power plants.
“China opposes armed attacks on nuclear power plants and other peaceful nuclear facilities and calls on all parties to abide by international law, including the Convention on Nuclear Safety (CNS), and resolutely avoid man-made nuclear accidents. China supports the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in carrying out constructive role in promoting the safety of peaceful nuclear installations”.
8. Reducing strategic risks.
“Nuclear weapons must not be used and nuclear wars must not be waged. The threat or use of nuclear weapons must be resisted. Nuclear proliferation must be prevented and a nuclear crisis must be avoided. China opposes the research, development and use of chemical and biological weapons by any country under any circumstances.”< /p>
9. Promotion of grain exports.
“All parties should fully and effectively implement the Black Sea Grain Initiative signed by Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and the UN in a balanced manner, and support the UN in playing an important role in this regard .China's Global Food Security Cooperation Initiative provides a possible solution to the global food crisis.”
10. Ending unilateral sanctions.
“Unilateral sanctions and maximum pressure cannot solve the issue; they only create new problems. China opposes unilateral sanctions not authorized by the UN.”
11 . Maintaining the stability of industrial chains and supply chains.
“All parties must sincerely support the current global economic system and oppose the use of the world economy as a tool or weapon for political purposes. Joint efforts are needed to mitigate the effects of the crisis and prevent it from disrupting international cooperation in energy, finance, food trade and transportation, resuming the global economy.”
12. Promote post-conflict reconstruction.
“The international community should take action to support post-conflict reconstruction in conflict zones. China stands ready to assist and play a constructive role in this effort.”
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