Chinese State Councilor Wang Yi meets with EU diplomatic chief Josep Borrell in Germany
China’s State Councilor and diplomat Wang Yi said China and Europe should step up cooperation to ensure global “peace and stability”. The statements were made on Saturday (02/18/2023) in a speech at the 59th Security Conference in Munich.
According to the Chinese diplomat, if both decide in favor of dialogue and cooperation, “there will be no bloc confrontation” or a “new Cold War”. Here is the full text of the speech (163 KB, in English).
Also on Saturday (February 18), Wang met with the head of EU (European Union) diplomacy Josep Borrell for a bilateral meeting. In it, the Chinese diplomat said that China and the European bloc are not “rivals.”
It also said that “both sides should maintain openness and cooperation, resist decoupling, and work together to maintain the stability of global production and supply chain,” according to a statement from China’s foreign ministry. The information comes from the South China Morning Post.
According to Wang, the Asian country is ready to resume trade with Europe and the rest of the world. He also urged Beijing and Brussels to prepare for another meeting of EUChina leaders.
On his Twitter profile, Josep Borrell specified who spoke with Wang about the RussianUkrainian conflict during the bilateral meeting. “I stressed the EU’s position on Russia’s war against Ukraine and made it clear that China must work with Russia to end the aggression,” he said.
Reproduction/Twitter @JosepBorrellF 18.Feb.2023 EU chief of diplomacy Josep Borrell (left), Chinese State Councilor Wang Yi (right) and their delegations held a bilateral meeting at the security conference in Munich
In his speech, Wang defended that “disputes should be resolved peacefully through dialogue” in order to achieve a safer world. He also said that China takes a responsible attitude and plays a constructive role in international disputes.
“On the issue of Ukraine, China’s position boils down to supporting the peace talks. We will present China’s proposal for a political solution to the crisis in Ukraine and stand firmly on the side of peace and dialogue,” he said.
On the fringes of the Munich Security Conference, the Chinese adviser also met with Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba.
According to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, Wang told Kuleba that China and Ukraine are strategic partners. He also said the Asian nation stands on the side of dialogue and is trying to promote peace talks amid the conflict with Russia.
“China does not want the crisis to prolong and stands ready to work with the international community to prevent the situation from worsening. [Também irá] Striving for peace,” said the spokeswoman.
Reproduction/Twitter @SprecherCHN 19.Feb.2023 Foreign Minister of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba (left) and State Councilor of China Wang Yi (right) during a bilateral meeting at the Munich Security Conference
About the meeting, Kuleba he said on his Twitter profile that he and Wang agree that “the fundamental principle of the UN Charter of territorial integrity is sacred to both.”
“I reiterated that all initiatives aimed at restoring peace in Ukraine must be based on this,” added the Ukrainian minister.