Find ‘common ground’ to end crisis
China, US should think about path forward in the aftermath of Ukraine conflict, urges Chinese envoy
China and the United States should find common ground in helping to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict and seriously think about the changes brought by the crisis, said Qin Gang, Chinese ambassador to the US.
“While working to end this conflict, we must also give some serious thought to the changes brought by the crisis and the path forward in its aftermath,” Qin wrote in an article titled “The Ukraine Crisis and Its Aftermath” that was published on April 18 by The National Interest, a US international relations magazine.
Qin said lessons must be learned, stressing that the US and China should “seek maximum common ground in addressing the cooling of the international political climate”.
The envoy said that “one more minute the conflict lasts means one more hardship for the 43 million Ukrainian people”.
The envoy reiterated Beijing’s stance on the conflict, saying that China supports all efforts in delivering a cease-fire and relieving the humanitarian crisis, and will continue to play a vital role until the end.
According to Qin, Europe has been the focus of all the pressure in the crisis, and the prospects for Europe’s stability and prosperity were damaged overnight and replaced by huge uncertainties.
“To reverse this situation, there must be not only an end to this war but also a fundamental answer to lasting peace and stability in Europe, and a balanced, effective and sustainable philosophy and architecture for its security,” Qin said.
“The contrasting shifts over the 30 years on the two ends of the Eurasian continent should shed some light on how security can be ensured for Europe and the world. … As is shown by history, different choices lead to different outcomes.”
Qin said the unfolding of the Ukraine crisis has also put US ties with Russia and China to the test. He wrote that 30 years after Russia’s then-president Boris Yeltsin made his first visit to the US and China following the Soviet Union’s dissolution, China-Russia ties have made great progress, but they are “still based on nonalliance, nonconfrontation, and nontargeting of third countries”.
“China has been and will remain an independent country that decides its position according to the merits of each matter, immune from external pressure or interference,” Qin said.
“At the same time, US-Russia relations are sliding into a new Cold War, which is not in the interest of either China, the United States or Russia, and is not what China wants to see. After all, a worse Russia-US relationship does not mean a better China-US relationship, and likewise, a worse China-Russia relationship does not mean a better US-Russia relationship either.”
More important, if the China-US relationship “is messed up, that does not augur well for Russia-US relations or the world”, he said.
Qin condemned the rhetoric targeting China around the Ukraine conflict.
“Disturbingly, as the crisis continues, some people are wielding the stick of sanctions against China to coerce the renunciation of its independent foreign policy of peace,” Qin wrote. “Some are clamoring about a ‘Beijing-Moscow Axis’ in a dangerous misinterpretation of China-Russia
relations, asking China to bear responsibility for the crisis. Some are linking Taiwan to Ukraine and playing up the risks of a conflict across the Taiwan Straits. “These words and actions are not helpful to resolving the crisis or ensuring the stability of China-US relations,” he said.
Qin added that China and the US should not only work together to tackle global warming but also seek maximum common ground in addressing the cooling of the international political climate.
“Differences in perception of the crisis do not justify groundless accusations or pressure and should not hinder our joint efforts to end the crisis. … China and the US should take a long-term view and have pragmatic and constructive dialogue, coordination and cooperation for what comes our way outside and after the crisis,” Qin said.