Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Monday that Beijing is prepared to act as a mediator between Ukraine and Russia and added that no diplomatic fallout could break China’s ties with Russia.
“China is willing to continue playing a constructive role in urging peace talks and is willing when necessary to work together with the international community to launch required mediation,” Wang told reporters at his annual news conference, according to the Washington Post.
The comments come days after Wang spoke to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and called on the U.S., the E.U. and NATO to “engage in equal-footed dialogue with Russia, face up to the frictions and problems accumulated over the years.”
On Monday, Wang said Chinese President Xi Jinping told Russian President Vladimir Putin of Beijing’s desire for peace talks to begin “as soon as possible” when the pair spoke by phone on February 25.
Wang added that the relationship between China and Russia is “not subject to third-party interference” when asked if the conflict had impacted bilateral ties, according to the report.
“No matter how perilous the international situation, China and Russia will … continuously advance with a new era of comprehensive strategic partnership,” he said, calling the relationship between the two countries “rock solid.”
Meanwhile, other world leaders have suggested China could play a key role in negotiating a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, including the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell.
Borrell told El Mundo: “We have not asked for it nor have they asked for it, but since it has to be a power and neither the U.S. nor Europe can be [mediators], China could be.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Saturday that Beijing had “sufficient tools to make a difference.”
China’s role as a mediator would not be unprecedented; it has helped with negotiations in disputes between Pakistan and Afghanistan, as well as clashes between North and South Korea in recent years.
However, the Chinese Foreign Ministry has turned down requests from the U.S. to exert influence over Russia. Yet a Western intelligence report found that Chinese officials asked Russia to delay its invasion until after the Closing Ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics, Biden administration officials said last week. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has denied the report.
Russia has become increasingly isolated since it moved to invade Ukraine more than a week ago. China is one of Russia’s few remaining allies.
On Sunday, multiple Russian banks announced plans to begin issuing cards using a Chinese card operator’s system with Russia’s Mir network after Visa and MasterCard pulled out of Russia.
Sberbank, Alfa Bank and Tinkoff all said they would begin using the Chinese UnionPay system, according to Reuters.
Meanwhile, senior U.S. officials traveled to Venezuela on Saturday to hold meetings with the administration of President Nicolás Maduro as the Russian invasion of Ukraine brings renewed attention to Russia’s Latin American allies, according to the New York Times .
The U.S. is both concerned about potential security threats from Russia’s Latin American allies if tensions continue to rise with the Kremlin, as well as hopeful that Latin American autocracies may begin to see Russian President Vladimir Putin as a weak ally, the New York Times reported.