Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang walks after delivering a keynote speech during the 鈥淟anting Forum鈥� in Beijing, China, February 21, 2023. REUTERS
BEIJING 鈥� China is 鈥渄eeply worried鈥� about the escalation of the Ukraine conflict and the possibility of the situation spiraling out of control, China鈥檚 foreign minister Qin Gang said on Tuesday.
Beijing, which last year struck a 鈥渘o limits鈥� partnership with Moscow, has refrained from condemning Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine. The United States has warned of consequences if China provides military support to Russia, which Beijing says it is not doing.
鈥淲e urge certain countries to immediately stop fueling the fire,鈥� Qin said during a speech, adding that these nations must also 鈥渟top hyping up 鈥榯oday Ukraine, tomorrow Taiwan'鈥�.
鈥淲e stand firmly against any form of hegemony, against any foreign interference in China鈥檚 affairs,鈥� he said.
Also on Tuesday, China released a paper on the Global Security Initiative (GSI), President Xi Jinping鈥檚 flagship security proposal which aims to uphold the principle of 鈥渋ndivisible security鈥�, a concept also endorsed by Russia.
On Monday, China鈥檚 top diplomat Wang Yi called for a negotiated settlement to the Ukraine war during a stopover in Hungary ahead of a visit to Moscow.
Beijing has refrained from condemning Moscow鈥檚 operation against Ukraine or calling it an 鈥渋nvasion鈥� in line with the Kremlin, which describes the war as a 鈥渟pecial military operation鈥� designed to protect Russia鈥檚 own security.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned on Saturday that the United States was very concerned China is considering providing 鈥渓ethal assistance鈥� to Russia, which he told Wang 鈥渨ould have serious consequences in our relationship.鈥�
鈥淭here are various kinds of lethal assistance that they are at least contemplating providing, to include weapons,鈥� Blinken said in an interview with NBC 黑料社, adding that Washington would soon release more details.
Any Chinese weapons supplies to Russia would risk a potential escalation of the Ukraine war into a confrontation between Russia and China on the one side and Ukraine and the U.S.-led NATO military alliance on the other.
Xi has stood by Russian President Vladimir Putin, resisting Western pressure to isolate Moscow. Chinese-Russian trade has soared since the invasion of Ukraine, and Russia has sold Asian powers including China greater volumes of oil.
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