Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
China’s top diplomat has (again) called for both sides to exercise restraint, in a high-profile meeting with US officials yesterday.
“All parties should exercise maximum restraint, protect civilians and prevent a large-scale humanitarian crisis,” Yang Jiechi said, in a read-out summary of the meeting published by Beijing this morning.
Yang said that China was committed to promoting peace talks, and “the international community should… push the situation to cool down as soon as possible.”
But he added that the “legitimate concerns of all parties” would need to be addressed.
His comments were made at a seven-hour meeting in Rome with US national security adviser Jake Sullivan which was closely watched – because hours before it took place, US security officals accused China of signalling its willingness to supply Russia with weapons.
Beijing fiercely dismissed the reports as disinformation.
China has so far refrained from condemning Moscow, and said its “security concerns” should be taken seriously.
But Beijing at the same time has expressed “unwavering support” for Ukraine’s sovereignty.