(CNN) — Chinese President Xi Jinping said Tuesday that China is willing to “actively work” with the international community to mediate the ukrainian warbut did not provide details and reiterated his opposition to Western sanctions against Russia.
During a virtual call with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron, Xi said the situation in Ukraine was “worrying” and China was “deeply saddened by the outbreak of war again on the European continent.” , according to a statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping are close allies, but Western nations have called on China to do more in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“China will keep in communication and coordination with France, Germany and the European Union and, in light of the needs of the parties involved, will actively work together with the international community,” the statement said, adding that all efforts “leading to the peaceful resolution of the crisis must be supported”.
According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Scholz and Macron said their two countries are willing to strengthen communication and coordination with Beijing to promote peace talks.
China and Russia share a strategic interest in challenging the West, but the invasion of Ukraine has put their friendship to the test.
China has not directly condemned Russia’s attack or imposed sanctions on Moscow, but neither has it rushed to help Russia after its economy was hit by sanctions from around the world, with experts saying Beijing’s options are limited. Analysts say Chinese banks and companies also fear secondary sanctions if they deal with their Russian counterparts.
Beijing has consistently refused to label the war in Ukraine a Russian invasion, and Chinese officials regularly point to NATO’s eastward expansion as a cause of the conflict, repeating a key Russian argument.
Xi stressed the need to support the peace talks and encouraged the two sides to “keep the talks and achieve peaceful results,” according to Tuesday’s statement.
Once again, China called on the parties to exercise “utmost restraint” to avoid a massive humanitarian crisis and said he was ready to provide Ukraine with more humanitarian aid supplies. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said last week that the Chinese are “ready to seek a peaceful solution” in diplomatic talks to end the war.
Xi again condemned Western sanctions during Tuesday’s call, warning that they “will undermine the global economy that is already plagued by the pandemic.”
“This does not benefit anyone. We have to actively uphold a common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security vision,” Xi said, according to the statement.