- China’s foreign minister has called his Ukrainian counterpart to say he ‘deeply regrets’ the Russia conflict, says Chinese state media
- The move comes after China, India and UAE abstained on UN resolution condemning Russia’s invasion in a blow to Russia, which vetoed the motion
- The abstention was seen as a win for Western countries after last-minute talks
- Meanwhile, several Chinese public banks are limiting financing to purchase raw materials from Russia, fearing Western sanctions could be imposed
- About 30 percent of oil and gas produced by Russia now sold to China
- Putin is relying on Russia’s good relationship with China and Xi Jinping to bail him out of tough Western sanctions being imposed on Moscow
- Last month, Xi marked 30 years of ties with Ukraine, hailing their ‘deepening political mutual trust’. Ukraine is also a hub in China’s Belt and Road Initiative
China’s foreign minister spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart on Tuesday and called for a resolution to the crisis through negotiation, Chinese state media said, as Beijing treads a difficult diplomatic line on the invasion.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Dmytro Kuleba that Beijing ‘deeply regrets that conflict has broken out between Ukraine and Russia, and is paying extreme attention to the harm suffered by civilians’, state broadcaster CCTV reported, adding that Wang called for the two countries to ‘find a way to resolve the issue through negotiations’.