China reaffirmed support for peace efforts in Ukraine on Thursday (10) and commented that relevant parts should avoid “irresponsible comments,” in an apparent criticism of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s commentary on Chinese citizens fighting Russia.
The president of Ukraine said on Wednesday that the intelligence of the country had information about 155 Chinese citizens fighting in Ukraine.
The speech came after the capture of two Chinese citizens in eastern Ukraine, where Russian troops advanced.
“I would like to reiterate that China is not the initiator of the Ukrainian crisis, nor is it a participating part. We are a firm supporter and active promoter of a peaceful solution to the crisis,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian.
“We ask the relevant parties involved to correctly and soberly understand China’s role and not to make irresponsible comments,” he said at a regular press conference without citing Zelensky or any other authorities.
China, which declared a “boundless” partnership with Russia, tried to position itself as an author in attempts to negotiate the end of the war. It was refrained from criticizing the large-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022.
Zelensky stated that Russia was recruiting Chinese citizens through social networks, that China’s authorities were aware of this and that Ukraine’s security service had compiled lists of names, dates and the Russian military units for which they were designated.
He also said on Wednesday that Ukraine was trying to assess whether Chinese recruits were receiving Beijing instructions.
Reuters could not independently verify the allegations of Zelensky, which China rejected on Wednesday (10) as “unfounded”.
Spokesman Lin reiterated that the Chinese government has always asked citizens to remain far from armed conflict zones, “and, in particular, to abstain from participating in military actions on both sides.”
Kremlin rejected Zelensky’s comments on Thursday that China is being involved in the conflict in Ukraine, saying Beijing has a “balanced position.”
Zelensky criticized the sending of Chinese citizens such as Russia’s “second error” in the war, after which Ukraine and Western countries described how to send more than 11,000 North Korean soldiers to the Kursk Russian region.
Russia made no public commentary on the Ukrainian President’s statements of Chinese combatants and has never explicitly confirmed the sending of North Korean troops to his Kursk region.
This content was originally published in China denies participation in the war in Ukraine after speech by Zelensky on the CNN Brazil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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