(SONG CHEN / CHINA DAILY)
On May 4, Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, reiterated China's stance that the international community should pave the way for promoting dialogues and politically resolving the Ukraine crisis.
Dialogue and negotiations are the only way to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict, President Xi Jinping said during his conversation over the phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on April 26. Xi also said that China will send its special envoy on Eurasian affairs to visit countries, including Ukraine, to hold talks with parties that want a political settlement to the Ukraine crisis. This shows China is committed to promoting peace diplomacy to help end the Ukraine crisis.
Ukraine's economy had not been doing well before the conflict broke out, with its GDP reaching $200 billion in 2021. Since the conflict broke out in February 2022, Ukraine has lost control of one-fifth of its territory, and its GDP declined by 29.1 percent, with 10 million people fleeing their homes and a significant part of its infrastructure being damaged or destroyed.
On the other hand, due to the Western sanctions imposed on Moscow in response to its special military operation in Ukraine, Russia's economy shrank by 2.1 percent in 2022 and its influence in Eurasia declined. Also, the spillover effects of the conflict have slowed down the world economy, disrupted the global industrial supply chains and increased the possibility of a Russia-NATO confrontation.
However, the policies adopted by the Western countries toward Russia have also increased their military and economic costs, and affected their stability and development, with the arms race triggered by the conflict deteriorating the security situation in Europe.
Unfortunately, the European Union, which is facing challenges due to the influx of refugees, and rising energy and food prices, has traded its strategic autonomy for strengthening its alliance with the United States.
The fact is that the US had benefited the most from the Ukraine crisis, as it has consolidated its leadership over its allies and partners, somewhat weakened Russia, and succeeded, to a large extent, in driving a permanent wedge between Russia and Ukraine. The US is also profiteering from arms sales and energy trade. But despite its gains, the US has damaged its credibility by inciting the conflict.
Nevertheless, the humanitarian crisis caused by the conflict is likely to deepen because of the West's military assistance to Ukraine, which will harm the global economy and international relations.
China knows peace cannot be achieved overnight. But only peace talks and a cease-fire can prevent more deaths and injuries, and thus a larger humanitarian crisis. To prevent the situation from deteriorating further, President Xi has urged the international community to focus on four factors and Ukraine to pay attention to three points. China has even released a position document on the Ukraine crisis to promote peace talks.
China's commitment to peace is related to its traditional culture and the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence: mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence.
China did not trigger the Russia-Ukraine conflict, yet the escalating conflict has impacted the country as well. For example, a large number of Chinese citizens had to be evacuated from Ukraine and the economic cooperation between the two countries has come to a standstill. The global economic downturn and bloc confrontation caused by the Ukraine crisis, too, have hindered China's peaceful development.
Since Russia and Ukraine both are its strategic partners, China attaches great importance to the long-term development of relations with the two countries. It also hopes Europe will succeed in restoring peace and stability in the region.
For China, peace and development are the underlying trends of the times. Perhaps that's why Russia and Ukraine both agree with China's peace proposal and support China's efforts to mediate a rapprochement between the two sides.
The Western politicians that have visited China this year, too, want to see an end to the Ukraine crisis. In this regard, China's mediation efforts are a timely response to the international community's quest for a resolution to the crisis.
Global hotspot issues have been increasingly compromising China's interests in recent years, because of its deepening cooperation with other countries. As such, China has been trying to restore peace and stability across the world.
As a matter of fact, the conflict between Ukraine and Russia started in 2014. But the issue is too complex to be resolved overnight because it not only involves confrontations caused by violation of territorial integrity and sovereignty, and historical and current problems, but also because it is a strategic conflict between NATO and Russia and a geopolitical game between Russia and the US.
Most EU member states support the US strategy of providing military support for Ukraine to weaken Russia. While Kyiv refuses to trade territory for peace, Moscow says it will use all means possible to safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Russia. Given these facts, it will be very difficult for China's special envoy to mediate peace between Russia and Ukraine.
As a traditional Chinese saying goes, those who refuse to take the easy path will succeed, those who meet challenges head-on will prevail. Every war adds to the suffering of the people. Only a cease-fire can end the crisis and bring peace to the region.
The author is a research fellow at the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.