"China did not participate in the discussion on sending peacekeeping forces"
China is not considering sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui said in an interview with Izvestia. At the same time, Western media reported that Beijing was allegedly discussing this possibility with the EU countries. According to the diplomat, there are serious disagreements between the parties concerned on the issue of post-war peacekeeping and there are no signs of a cessation of hostilities. At the same time, the Chinese side welcomes the direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul and hopes that they will be able to reach a peace agreement. China will also continue contacts with all parties involved to resolve the crisis, including Western countries. In an exclusive interview with Izvestia, Zhang Hanhui spoke about the joint plans of Beijing and Moscow, the integration of the Belt and Road in the EAEU and the friendship of the leaders of the two countries.
"The end point of any conflict is negotiations"
— The Chinese side has repeatedly stressed the need for a peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis. Previously, Saudi Arabia and Turkey provided platforms for dialogue. Is the Chinese side ready to play a constructive role in the settlement?
— China's position on the Ukrainian issue is consistent and clear. As Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed, "the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states must be respected, the purposes and principles of the UN Charter must be respected, reasonable security concerns of all countries must be taken seriously, and all efforts towards a peaceful settlement deserve support." This remains an authoritative position and a fundamental principle of the Chinese side.
Beijing welcomes the direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul and hopes that all parties will be able to reach a just, sustainable, binding and acceptable peace agreement through dialogue. China is ready to continue to play a constructive role with the international community in finally resolving the crisis and achieving lasting peace.
— The delegations of Russia and Ukraine have already met twice in Istanbul. How does Beijing assess the progress of the negotiation process? Is the Chinese side ready to facilitate the continuation of the direct dialogue between the parties?
— The causes of the Ukrainian crisis are complex. As they say in China, meter-long ice does not form in one day, and its melting also takes time. The end point of any conflict is negotiation. Currently, Russia and Ukraine have held a direct dialogue in Istanbul and reached agreements on issues such as prisoner exchanges. This created favorable conditions for the establishment of peace and was an important step forward. China calls on the parties to the conflict to demonstrate a desire for negotiations, and also hopes that the parties concerned will be able to provide them with a favorable external environment, jointly maintain the trend towards peaceful negotiations in order to eventually reach a political settlement. China hopes that peace and stability will be restored on the European continent as soon as possible, and is ready to continue to make a significant contribution to this.
"There are no signs of cessation of hostilities"
— Chinese Special Representative for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui has repeatedly visited Russia, Ukraine, as well as Western countries related to the Ukrainian crisis. Will China continue to maintain contacts on the Ukrainian issue with Western countries, including Poland, Germany and France?
— Since the comprehensive escalation of the Ukrainian crisis, China has been acting as a peace mediator and has consistently made efforts to end hostilities and promote peace negotiations. The Chinese Special Representative has already conducted four rounds of "shuttle diplomacy" covering four regions — Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America. He visited both sides of the conflict — Russia and Ukraine, and key European countries, including France and Germany. In addition, deep exchanges of views were held with countries of the Global South such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Indonesia and South Africa. These efforts have been widely welcomed and appreciated by the international community, including Russia.
Regardless of the development of the situation, China will always stand on the side of peace and dialogue. We will continue to make efforts to resolve the crisis and end hostilities, maintain contacts with all sides, and contribute Chinese wisdom and strength to advancing a political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis.
— Earlier, you stated in an interview with Izvestia that China and Russia had not discussed the possibility of sending peacekeeping forces to Ukraine after the crisis was resolved. Can you confirm this now?
— China is not a conflicting party to the Ukrainian crisis, and certainly not its initiator. Beijing did not participate in the discussion on sending peacekeeping forces. The Chinese side believes that the deployment of peacekeepers should comply with three basic principles: the consent of the parties to the conflict, impartiality and non-use of force, except in cases of self-defense. At the moment, there are serious disagreements between the parties concerned on the issue of post-war peacekeeping, there are no signs of cessation of hostilities, and the number of victims continues to grow. China calls on all parties to continue efforts to reduce tensions, create favorable conditions for dialogue, and open a window of opportunity for peace.
— In 2024, China and Brazil jointly created the Friends of the World platform through the United Nations to find a peaceful solution to the Ukrainian crisis. What initiatives are the group members currently discussing? When will the next meeting be held?
— Since the establishment of the Friends of the World group on the Ukrainian crisis at the initiative of China and Brazil, several meetings have already been held. It has become an important mechanism through which the countries of the Global South express their position on the Ukrainian issue, reflecting the common desire of the international community for a ceasefire and peace. The Group consistently adheres to an impartial, objective and open position, and is always ready to listen to the opinions of all parties to the conflict, including Russia. The Group adheres to the principle of consensus and is focused on promoting all actions that contribute to a political settlement and the restoration of peace. China welcomes and supports all efforts to achieve peace, will continue to take an objective and fair position, as well as promote consensus-building and create conditions for resolving the crisis. The time of the next meeting will be announced after joint consultations of the group members.
"We intend to jointly promote the integration of the OBOR and EAEU initiatives"
— Vladimir Putin will visit China in September to participate in celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the Victory of the Chinese people in the War of Resistance against the Japanese Invaders. In general, the leaders of the Russian Federation and China often make official visits. What does this say about the development of partnership relations between Russia and China?
— There is a good tradition between China and Russia: when a neighbor arranges an important event, a friend always comes to congratulate. In May of this year, President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Russia and took part in celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. In accordance with the agreements reached, President Putin will also visit China to participate in commemorative events dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Victory of the Chinese people in the War of Resistance against the Japanese Invaders and Victory in World War II. This not only clearly demonstrates the strong personal friendship between the leaders of the two states, but also fully reflects the high level and special nature of the Sino-Russian relations of comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation.
Chinese President Xi Jinping after the Red Square parade
China and Russia are good neighbors, time—tested true friends, as well as natural partners in the joint construction of the One Belt— One Road Initiative (OBOR). President Putin has participated in the Belt and Road High—level Forum on International Cooperation three times in a row and has repeatedly delivered important speeches in support of this initiative, which fully reflects Russia's serious attention and support.
— Is the Chinese side planning to hold such a forum this year? How does Beijing intend to develop cooperation with Moscow through the OBOR?
— In May of this year, the leaders signed a Joint Statement on further deepening comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation in a new era. In it, they reaffirmed that both sides intend to jointly promote the integration of the OBOR and EAEU initiatives, promote the development of the Belt and Road Initiative and the Greater Eurasian Partnership. This marked the direction for further deepening cooperation between the two countries in the construction of the Belt and Road.
Recently, Mikhail Fradkov, former Prime Minister of the Russian Federation and Director of the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies, participated via video link in a meeting of the advisory board of the Belt and Road 2025 Forum for International Cooperation. He highly appreciated the contribution of the OBOR to the stabilization of the global economy, which demonstrated the positive attitude of various circles of Russian society towards promoting cooperation in the joint construction of the Belt and Road. The Chinese side highly appreciates this.
Changes in the world, era and history are unfolding in an unprecedented way, and the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative has entered a new stage of high—quality development. We will accelerate the integration of the OBOR construction with the EAEU, comprehensively deepen the strategic cooperation between China and Russia, as well as practical cooperation, and make even greater efforts for the joint development of the two countries, modernization, and the protection of multilateralism and free trade.
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