China yesterday urged the world to stop drawing parallels between Taiwan and Ukraine, part of Beijing’s efforts to distance itself from Russia and portray itself as a neutral force for peace.
“China is deeply worried about the escalation of the Ukraine conflict and it possibly spiraling out of control,” Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Qin Gang (秦剛) said in remarks in Beijing to roll out Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) new “Global Security Initiative.”
“We urge certain countries to immediately stop fueling the fire, stop shifting blame to China and stop touting ‘Ukraine today, Taiwan tomorrow,’” Qin added.
Photo: Reuters
China in the past few days has stepped up efforts to draw a distinction between Ukraine and Taiwan, while rejecting US claims that it is privately considering providing weapons to support Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war effort.
Beijing plans to unveil a peace proposal in the coming days, an initiative met with skepticism among the US and its allies.
China’s stance has generated concern in the US and Europe.
Asked at the Munich Security Conference at the weekend whether China could reassure that audience that there would be no attack on Taiwan, Chinese Central Foreign Affairs Commission Director Wang Yi (王毅) said that peace would hinge on opposing independence forces in Taiwan.
“It was never a country and it will absolutely not be a country as well,” Wang said of Taiwan. “That is the true reality of the Taiwan issue.”
Meanwhile, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs James Cleverly on Monday said he had spoken with Qin and discussed the importance of peace in the Taiwan Strait.
“I raised China’s human rights abuses in Xinjiang & the need for peace in the Taiwan Strait,” Cleverly wrote on Twitter. “We also agreed to work together to resolve issues on climate and trade.”
Qin, who was appointed as foreign minister in December last year, told Cleverly that China poses no challenge or threat to Britain, Xinhua news agency reported.
Qin said that a sound China-Britain relationship not only serves both of their interests, but also contributes to world peace and development, Xinhua said.
China has reserved offshore airspace in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea from March 27 to May 6, issuing alerts usually used to warn of military exercises, although no such exercises have been announced, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported yesterday. Reserving such a large area for 40 days without explanation is an “unusual step,” as military exercises normally only last a few days, the paper said. These alerts, known as Notice to Air Missions (Notams), “are intended to inform pilots and aviation authorities of temporary airspace hazards or restrictions,” the article said. The airspace reserved in the alert is
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