China dismissed reports that its special envoy had proposed a ceasefire that would allow Russia to keep possession of parts of Ukraine.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a press conference on Monday that the media must refer to China’s official readouts on Special Representative Li Hui’s visit to Europe “for authentic information.”
Mao’s comments come after an article by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), published on Friday, said that the Chinese envoy’s trip “carried a clear message: US allies in Europe should assert their autonomy and urge an immediate cease-fire, leaving Russia in possession of the parts of its smaller neighbour that it now occupies." WSJ said it spoke with Western officials familiar with talks in capitals across the continent.”
Chinese state-owned media house Global Times (GT) said the article “completely contradicted” facts and it “fabricated stories.” It added that such reporting, which attempts “to impose its own views and practices on others” is “in fact obstructing the peaceful resolution of the Russia-Ukraine conflict” and that “blindly fueling the fire can only escalate the conflict and cause more harm to people. ”
Not that long ago the WSJ actually used to be fairly good in its China coverage but as of late it's sadly becoming yet another propaganda rag.
— Arnaud Bertrand (@RnaudBertrand) May 30, 2023
This is another recent example ⬇️ They reported that a Chinese Uyghur student had been essentially abducted by the authorities in Hong… pic.twitter.com/RcCvFhKtTF
Moreover, Ukrainian Foreign Minister (FM) Dmytro Kuleba denied the article’s claims. In a video message on Saturday, the FM said that after the article appeared, he immediately contacted colleagues in the European capitals visited by Li. However, none of them confirmed that they had held any negotiations suggested by the WSJ.
“I also noted that the Foreign Minister of Ukraine publicly said that he contacted other parties and no country said Special Representative Li Hui made the remarks reported by The Wall Street Journal,” spokesperson Mao said in this regard.
Chinese military expert Song Zhongping told GT that “the rumors spread by the US media are just an attempt to discredit the role played by the Chinese envoy in mediating the Russia-Ukraine conflict.” He added that China’s goal “is to promote peace talks, and the 12-point peace proposal has clearly stated its ideas and suggestions.”