Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi attends a press conference on China's foreign policy and foreign relations via video link on the sidelines of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2022. (CHEN ZHONGHAO / XINHUA)
BEIJING – Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday called for preventing a large-scale humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.
Regarding the situation in Ukraine, preventing such a crisis is one of the two priorities the international community must make continuous efforts on, Wang told a press conference on the sidelines of China's annual legislative session.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China is willing to continue playing a constructive role to facilitate Russia-Ukraine dialogue for peace, and work alongside the international community to carry out necessary mediation
Proposing a six-point initiative, Wang said that first, efforts should be made to make sure that humanitarian operations abide by the principles of neutrality and impartiality, and avoid politicizing humanitarian issues.
Second, full attention should be given to the displaced people in and from Ukraine, and efforts should be made to provide them with proper shelter, Wang said.
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Wang then called for ensuring the protection of civilians and preventing secondary humanitarian disasters in Ukraine.
Fourth, efforts should be made to provide for safe and smooth humanitarian aid activities, including providing rapid, safe and unimpeded humanitarian access, Wang noted.
He also called for providing for the safety of foreign nationals in Ukraine, allowing them safe departure and helping them return to their home countries.
Sixth, support should be given to the United Nations' coordinating role in channeling humanitarian aid and its work of the crisis coordinator for Ukraine, Wang added.
Noting that China will continue its efforts to stem the humanitarian crisis, Wang announced that the Red Cross Society of China will provide Ukraine with a trench of emergency humanitarian supplies as soon as possible.
He said calmness and rationality, instead of moves that pour oil on the flame and escalate tensions, are needed to resolve complex problems.
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Wang stressed the need to remain committed to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and respect and protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries; to uphold the principle of indivisible security and respect the legitimate security concerns of relevant parties; to rely on dialogue, negotiation and peaceful means for dispute resolution; to aim for long-term regional stability and forge a balanced, effective and sustainable European security mechanism.
Wang said China is willing to continue playing a constructive role to facilitate Russia-Ukraine dialogue for peace, and work alongside the international community to carry out necessary mediation.
The international community should focus their efforts on facilitating Russia-Ukraine talks and preventing large-scale humanitarian crisis, Wang said, noting that China has done some work while maintaining close contacts with relevant parties.
China believes that the more tense the situation, the more important that the talks continue, while the wider the disagreement, the greater the need to sit down and have negotiation, he said.