Beijing, Feb 24 As Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine marked a year since it was launched, China on Friday called for a resumption of peace talks between the two warring sides, an end to unilateral sanctions, and stressed its opposition to the use of nuclear weapons.
A 12-point paper released by the Foreign Ministry on Friday said: "Conflict and war benefit no one. All parties must stay rational and exercise restraint, avoid fanning the flames and aggravating tensions, and prevent the crisis from deteriorating further or even spiraling out of control.
"All parties should support Russia and Ukraine in working in the same direction and resuming direct dialogue as quickly as possible, so as to gradually de-escalate the situation and ultimately reach a comprehensive ceasefire."
The paper also observed that the UN Charter "must be strictly observed" and said the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries must be effectively upheld.
Calling to abandon the "Cold War mentality", it said that the security of a country should not be pursued at the expense of others.
"The security of a region should not be achieved by strengthening or expanding military blocs. The legitimate security interests and concerns of all countries must be taken seriously and addressed properly. There is no simple solution to a complex issue."
Dialogue and negotiation are the only viable solution to the Ukraine crisis, the paper said, adding that "China will continue to play a constructive role in this regard".
"All efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis must be encouraged and supported. The international community should stay committed to the right approach of promoting talks for peace, help parties to the conflict open the door to a political settlement as soon as possible, and create conditions and platforms for the resumption of negotiation," it added.
The paper however, appeared to criticise the wide-ranging economic sanctions imposed by the US and other Western countries on Russia.
"Unilateral sanctions and maximum pressure cannot solve the issue; they only create new problems," it said. "Relevant countries should stop abusing unilateral sanctions and 'long-arm jurisdiction' against other countries, so as to do their share in deescalating the Ukraine crisis."
The paper also stressed China's opposition to the use of nuclear weapons.
"Nuclear weapons must not be used and nuclear wars must not be fought. The threat or use of nuclear weapons should be opposed. Nuclear proliferation must be prevented and nuclear crisis avoided," it said and also warned against armed attacks against nuclear power plants or other peaceful nuclear facilities.
The paper comes amid accusations made by the US that China is considering arming Russia, which Beijing said were false, reports the BBC.
China has also been criticised by the US and its allies for refusing to condemn Russia's invasion.
On Wednesday, Russian President Vladmir Putin met China's top foreign policy official, Wang Yi, in Moscow and said co-operation with Beijing was "important to stabilise the international situation".
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