Germany
During his phone conversation with German Foreign Minister (FM) Annalena Baerbock on Saturday, Chinese State Councilor and FM Wang Yi said that China is paying “close attention to the evolving situation in Ukraine” and that it “supports all efforts conducive to easing the situation and political settlement.”
He reiterated that “Russia’s legitimate security demands ought to be properly addressed” due to “NATO’s five consecutive rounds of eastward expansion.” Wang further added that “with regards to European security issues, all countries’ legitimate concerns should be taken seriously.”
Wang also criticised NATO, which Germany is a part of, for following a “Cold War mentality” that must “be completely discarded.” To this end, Wang said that it is “necessary for NATO to reconsider its positioning and responsibilities.”
He also asserted Beijing’s disapproval “of the use of sanctions to solve problems,” particularly unilateral sanctions, opining that they have “no basis in international law.” “It has long been proved that sanctions, far from being a solution, will only create new problems. Sanctions will not only cause a lose-lose or all-lose situation in economy, but also disrupt or impact on the political settlement process,” the FM said.
Wang concluded by pledging support to NATO, the EU, and Russia “in resuming dialogue aimed at building a balanced, effective and sustained European security mechanism.”
#Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a phone conversation at request with #Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian on Wednesday. #China #Iranian https://t.co/a7wgMFCBGG pic.twitter.com/TRTHjr9uds
— CCTV+ (@CCTV_Plus) March 3, 2022