China urges keeping door open for political solution to Ukraine crisis, facilitating ceasefire

Dai Bing (on the podium), Charge d'affaires of China's permanent mission to the United Nations, speaks at the UN General Assembly Emergency Special Session on Ukraine at the UN headquarters in New York, Feb. 23, 2023. (Xinhua/Xie E)

UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Thursday told the UN General Assembly Emergency Special Session on Ukraine that facilitation of a ceasefire is a top priority and the door to a political solution cannot be closed.

"The lessons of history tell us that crises, however deep, can ultimately be resolved peacefully. No matter how difficult it is, the door to a political solution cannot be closed," said Dai Bing, charge d'affaires of China's permanent mission to the United Nations.

"We support Russia and Ukraine in moving towards each other, resuming direct dialogue as soon as possible, bringing their legitimate concerns into the negotiation, setting out feasible options, and giving a chance to an early end of the crisis and the rebuilding of peace," he added.

Dai underscored the importance of dialogue and negotiation, noting that is "the only viable way to resolve the Ukraine crisis."

"At the beginning of the crisis, Russia and Ukraine held several rounds of talks and made important progress. Regrettably, peace talks have since stalled. The reason behind this warrants deep reflection," he said.

Dai noted that the top priority is to facilitate ceasefire and cessation of hostilities without delay. "Conflicts and wars have no winners. The longer the brutality, the greater the human suffering. We once again call on the parties to the conflict to remain rational, restrain their impulses, and prevent the crisis from getting worse or even out of control."

The parties to the conflict should strictly abide by international humanitarian law, avoid attacking civilians and civilian infrastructure, protect women, children, and other victims of the conflict, and respect the basic rights of prisoners of war, he said.

Dai pointed out that parties should strictly abide by the Convention on Nuclear Safety and guard against man-made nuclear accidents. Nuclear weapons cannot be used.

"Nuclear war cannot be fought. All parties should join together against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons, prevent nuclear proliferation, and avoid a nuclear crisis," he stressed.

The ambassador called on the international community to make joint efforts to facilitate peace talks.

"One year into the Ukraine crisis, brutal facts have offered ample proofs that sending weapons will not bring peace, adding fuel to the fire will only exacerbate tensions, and prolonging and expanding the conflict will only make ordinary people pay an even heftier price," he said.

"We reiterate our appeal that diplomacy and negotiation cannot be abandoned, and efforts towards ceasefire and talks must go on. The international community should create conditions for this to happen, rather than fanning the flames and seeking self-interest," he added.

Dai said "we urge the countries concerned to stop abusing unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction. Instead, they should act in a way conducive to de-escalation. The international community should strengthen coordination and cooperation in energy, finance, grain trade, and transportation, and work together to mitigate these spillover effects of the crisis."

"We support the UN General Assembly in playing an active role in bridging differences, building consensus, and forging synergy among member states," he added.

Security is not the prerogative of just a few countries. One country's security should not be achieved at the expense of other countries' security. Bolstering or even enlarging military blocs will only undermine regional security and drive peace further away, Dai said.

"The final settlement of the Ukraine crisis hinges on abandoning the Cold War mentality, giving due regard to and respecting the reasonable security concerns of all countries, thereby properly addressing their legitimate security aspirations and advancing the building of a balanced, effective, and sustainable European security architecture," he said.

As a responsible country, Dai said, "China always stands on the side of peace and dialogue, and always advocates peace and promotes talks."

"China will soon issue a position paper on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis. We stand ready to continue playing a constructive role in resolving the Ukraine crisis and bring about peace at an early date," he said. ■