China conducts third round of shuttle diplomacy on Ukraine crisis

Li Hui, the special representative of the Chinese government on Eurasian affairs, conducted a third round of shuttle diplomacy to seek a political settlement on the Ukraine crisis from May 3 to 9, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

Li had visited Türkiye, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, where he held talks with top diplomats and high-ranking officials of these countries, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said, adding that he also communicated with officials from countries including Brazil, South Africa, Indonesia and Kazakhstan before and after his visits.

The Foreign Ministry said that Li had an in-depth exchange of views with all parties on the Ukraine crisis and that they agreed with the following proposals put forward by the Chinese side:

First, calling for adherence to the three principles for cooling down the situation, namely, no spillover from the battlefield, no escalation of fighting and no adding oil to the fire by relevant parties.

Second, dialogue and negotiation are the only viable solutions to the Ukraine crisis. The parties to the conflict should create conditions for the resumption of direct dialogue and contribute to the de-escalation of the situation until a comprehensive ceasefire is reached.

Third, increasing humanitarian assistance to the relevant areas to improve the humanitarian situation and prevent a larger humanitarian crisis. The parties to the conflict should refrain from attacking civilians and civilian facilities, protect women, children and other victims of the conflict, and respect the basic rights of prisoners of war. China supports the exchange of prisoners of war between the parties to the conflict.

Fourth, opposing the use of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, preventing nuclear proliferation and avoiding nuclear crises.

Fifth, opposing armed attacks on peaceful nuclear facilities, such as nuclear power plants, and all parties should abide by international law, including the Convention on Nuclear Safety, and resolutely avoid man-made nuclear accidents.

Sixth, jointly supporting international cooperation in energy, finance, food trade and transportation and jointly maintaining the security of key infrastructure such as oil and gas pipelines, electric power and energy facilities, and undersea fiber-optic cables, so as to ensure the stability of the global industrial supply chain.

All parties agreed to continue to maintain communication and coordination and to play a constructive role in promoting a ceasefire and peace talks, the Foreign Ministry added.