Xi Jinping urges restraint in Ukraine during meeting with Medvedev
Beijing, Dec 21 (EFE).- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday held a meeting with former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev and urged restraint and dialog with regard to the Ukraine conflict, China’s state news agency Xinhua reported.
Medvedev arrived in China on an invitation by the Communist Party of China as the president of the United Russia Party, in power in Moscow.
Xi told Medvedev to convey his “cordial greetings to Russian President Vladimir Putin,” according to the report.
The Chinese president emphasized that his country had always maintained an “objective and just” position vis-a-vis the Ukraine war and backed peace talks.
He expressed hope that both sides would resolve their common concerns in the area of security through “political means.”
At the same time, Xi insisted that Moscow-Beijing ties had resisted the international vicissitudes and remained healthy and stable, adding that China was ready to work with Russia to continuously take forward bilateral ties and to develop global governance in a “just and reasonable” direction.
Medvedev, who also serves as the vice president of Russia’s security council, said Moscow wanted to boost bilateral cooperation in areas such as economy, trade, energy and agriculture.
Addressing the Ukraine conflict, the Russian leader said it was a very complicated issue and his country was ready to resolve the problems through peace talks.
China and Russia on Wednesday also kicked off joint naval exercises in East China Sea, which will continue until Dec. 27.
The drills, dubbed a “naval interaction,” have been held annually since 2012, and are set to include artillery fire and missile launch exercises this time, the Russian defense ministry informed.
China has maintained an ambiguous posture since the inception of the Ukraine war, urging respect for the “territorial integrity of all countries” including Ukraine, and highlighting “legitimate concerns” by many countries with regard to Russia.
Beijing has repeatedly opposed sanctions against Moscow, arguing that they were not based on international law and did not help in reaching a solution to the conflict. EFE
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