Ambassador says China promotes peace but won’t condemn Russia
China’s ambassador to the U.S., Qin Gang, said Sunday that China is responding to Russia’s war on Ukraine by calling for a ceasefire, promoting peace talks and sending humanitarian aid.
But when asked about China condemning Russia, Qin told CBS’ Margaret Brennan that condemnation “doesn't solve the problem. I would be surprised if Russia will back down by condemnation.”
President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping engaged in a two-hour video call on Friday to discuss the situation in Ukraine. The outcome was apparently not what Biden had hoped for — Xi did not commit to using his country’s influence to get Russia to back down and instead, expressed a few criticisms of the United States’ role in the conflict, among other issues.
On “Face the Nation,” Qin said that the call was "candid, deep, and constructive. President Xi Jinping gave China's position very clear, that is China stands for peace, opposes war.”
Qin also said that China isn’t sending arms to any party involved — only aid including “food, medicine, sleeping bags and baby formula.”
The ambassador said that China has and will continue to do everything it can to deescalate the conflict, stating: “China's trusted relations with Russia, it's not a liability, actually it’s an asset in the international efforts to solve the crisis in a peaceful way. ... China is part of the solution, it’s not part of the problem.”
Qin mentioned that on the second day of Russia's military operation, Xi did speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin about resuming peace talks with Ukraine “and we have seen four rounds of peace talks.”
Brennan also asked about China providing financial support to Moscow. Qin didn’t address the question directly, saying, “China has normal trade, economic, financial, energy cooperation with Russia. As I said just now — these are the normal business between two sovereign countries based on international order, laws, including WTO rules.”
Qin reiterated China’s role in the conflict by saying, “We have already made it very clear that, you know, national sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, including Ukraine, should be respected and protected. But as I said, condemnation only cannot work. What we need is good diplomacy based on vision, wisdom, and courage. And looking ahead, the enduring approach to the security issue in Europe.”
The last question Brennan asked Qin was if China would give access to the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, who is expected to visit the region where Uyghurs are reportedly being kept in internment camps.
Qin rejected the premise of her question: “There's no such so-called human rights violation.”