China Reiterates Call For Peace Talks In Ukraine War: 'Invisible Hand Pushing For...Escalation Of The Crisis'

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, on Tuesday, reiterated Xi Jinping's government's call for peace talks in Ukraine.

What Happened: Qin, who was promoted to power two months ago, at his first annual press conference as foreign minister, said the crisis seems to be driven by an invisible hand pushing for the protraction and escalation of the conflict, reported The South China Morning Post.

The “invisible hand” is “using the Ukraine crisis to serve certain geopolitical agendas,” Qin said, targeting the U.S. and its allies providing aid to Kyiv.

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“Conflict, sanctions, and pressure will not solve the problem…The process of peace talks should begin as soon as possible, and the legitimate security concerns of all parties should be respected,” he added.

The comments came days after China presented its 12-point proposal to end Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine. China proposed a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia and a gradual de-escalation of the situation that will pave the way to end the conflict. 

Amid reports of China arming Putin in the Ukraine war, Qin said Beijing had not provided weapons to either side of the conflict. “(China) is not a party to the crisis and has not provided weapons to either side of the conflict. So on what basis is this talk of blame, sanctions and threats against China? This is absolutely unacceptable,” he said.

The Chinese foreign minister added that the Ukraine crisis is at a "critical juncture," and calmness, reason and dialogue are needed. 

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