US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken urged China to persuade Russia to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty.
Speaking to Euronews, Blinken said some of China’s peace proposals were positive.
“But it is the very first element of their proposals, sovereignty, which should be at the center,” he stressed. “China should work to convince Russia to genuinely respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and return territories seized by force in violation of the UN Charter, in violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty.”
However, according to Blinken, China is trying to sit on two chairs.
“He wants to try to look like a champion of peace and at the same time continues to support Russia in various ways – rhetorically, promoting his arguments in international institutions, spreading Russian propaganda on aggression, and even, as we said a few weeks ago, plans to help lethal Russia,” said the head of US diplomacy.
“I hope and expect that China will not take this step,” he added.
Blinken said China’s relationship with Russia gave him some clout.
“Russia is increasingly dependent on China,” he continued. “She is the junior partner in this relationship, and she is increasingly dependent on China. Therefore, we hope that China will use the voice it has with Russia…to move towards a just and lasting peace.
“First, it must be clear that this Russian aggression is unacceptable, that Russia simply cannot take another country’s territory by force with impunity,” Blinken said. “And if China adheres to the basic principles that underlie the Charter of the United Nations, which unites us all, then it must uphold those principles and do everything to make it clear to Russia that its actions are simply unacceptable.”
Blinken made the statements during French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Beijing, accompanied by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in a bid to demonstrate European unity over Ukraine.
State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said US President Joe Biden spoke with Macron before his trip, and during that phone call they reaffirmed the continued support of the United States and from France to Ukraine.
“The United States and France share concerns about China’s challenge to the rules-based international order, including through Beijing’s continued support for Russia’s war against Ukraine,” Patel said. .
