Czech President Petr Pavel said that it is beneficial for China to prolong the conflict in Ukraine, and believes that Beijing cannot be trusted to mediate efforts to resolve the situation.
⠀
In February, the Chinese authorities proposed their plan for resolving the conflict in Ukraine. It includes 12 points, including calls for a ceasefire, respect for the legitimate interests of all countries in the field of security, and the settlement of the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, many points of the Chinese peace plan can be taken as the basis for a settlement when they are ready for this in the West and in Kyiv.
⠀
“I think it’s in China’s interest to maintain the status quo, because that could push Russia into a series of concessions… It’s also good for China that the West is probably getting a little weaker by supporting Ukraine,” Pavel said.
⠀
The Czech leader added that he did not think that “China is really interested in resolving the war in a short time.”
⠀
In his opinion, Beijing “learns lessons from the conflict every day” and “is closely following what Russia is doing and how the West is reacting.”
⠀
Beijing has repeatedly stated that China has always adhered to an objective and fair position regarding the Ukrainian crisis. The PRC has repeatedly called on all parties to jointly create conditions for peace talks, calling it a top priority to promote a ceasefire, as well as “to resist adding fuel to the fire and complicating the problem.” Chinese President Xi Jinping has said that Beijing will continue to play an active role in promoting peace talks. The Chinese Foreign Ministry noted that China always makes independent judgments based on the circumstances of the case, “between peace and war, we choose peace, between dialogue and sanctions, we choose dialogue.”
