Chancellor Olaf Scholz met President Xi Jinping in China, expressing expectations that Berlin and Beijing would help establish "just peace" in Ukraine.
"The war in Ukraine has a negative impact on European security and directly affects the core interests of Germany and China," Scholz told Xi during a meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing today.
Chancellor Scholz expressed hope that Germany and China would discuss “how we can further contribute to a just peace in Ukraine.” Kiev and the West often refer to the concept of a “just peace,” which would mean a cessation of fighting on the condition that Russia withdraws its troops from all territories it controls in Ukraine.
Chinese media quoted President Xi as saying he stressed the importance of relations between the world's second and third largest economies in the face of "growing risks and challenges".
"The two countries need to develop bilateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, and cooperate to bring stability to the world," Xi said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) receives German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Beijing, April 16. Photo: Reuters
Xi outlined "four principles to prevent the Ukraine crisis from spiraling out of control and restore peace." The Chinese president stressed that countries must focus on "maintaining peace and stability and refraining from pursuing selfish interests," and "cooling down the situation and not adding fuel to the fire."
"We need to create conditions for restoring peace and refrain from further escalating tensions, while aiming to reduce the negative impact on the world economy," Xi added.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in China on April 14, marking his second visit to the country since taking office. He is accompanied by a large delegation, including ministers and many business leaders. China is Germany's largest trading partner.
Russia has not commented on the meeting of the two leaders or Mr. Scholz's expectations.
China is a close partner of Russia, despite pressure from the West after the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict.
Ukraine has been trying to convince China to support Kiev's 10-point peace plan, which includes demands such as restoring the country's territorial integrity, Russia withdrawing all troops from Ukraine, ensuring nuclear safety and releasing all prisoners of war.
China last year put forward a 12-point peace plan for the Ukraine conflict that included a ceasefire between the two sides but did not require Russia to withdraw its troops from territories it controlled.
Chinese representatives have participated in only one of four conferences discussing Ukraine’s 10-point peace plan since President Zelensky presented it in November 2022.
Duc Trung (According to AFP )
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