Will promote 'rational voices' for early Ukraine ceasefire, China's Wang Yi tells Russian official

China Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu in St Petersburg on Tuesday and told him that China will promote “balanced, objective and rational voices” to create conditions for an early ceasefire and a political settlement of the Ukraine war, according to a report on Wednesday.

“China has always maintained an objective and impartial attitude towards the Ukrainian issue and will continue to work to promote balanced, objective and rational voices in the international community, so as to build more international consensus and accumulate the necessary conditions for an early ceasefire and a political settlement of the crisis,” South China Morning Post quoted Wang as saying, citing a statement from Chinese foreign ministry.

Meanwhile, Shoigu “welcomed” the joint call by China and Brazil for de-escalation in Ukraine, expressing satisfaction with the international recognition of the proposal, reported South China Morning Post.

While Beijing has positioned itself as a peacemaker, its strong ties with Moscow and reluctance to condemn Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war have drawn Western scrutiny.

China is intensifying efforts to promote its six-point plan, particularly within the Global South.

Beijing claims that the Sino-Brazilian peace plan has received backing from 26 countries, with over 100 expressing favorable responses. Last week, Putin suggested that China, Brazil, and India could mediate potential talks on Ukraine.

In Tuesday’s meeting, Wang also advocated for closer coordination between emerging powers and Russia.

Wang said China and Russia should work together to “deepen mutual trust and cooperation among Brics nations so as to build the Brics mechanism as a major channel for the voices of emerging forces and an important platform for solidarity and collaboration in the Global South”.

“China is willing to strengthen strategic communication with Russia, to give full play to the China-Russia Strategic Security Consultation Mechanism and the Brics Security Council Mechanism, and continue to enrich the strategic connotation of China-Russia relations,” Wang was quoted as saying.

Wang, a Politburo member and head of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, is in Russia for a two-day Brics security meeting starting today. His visit is seen as a precursor to President Xi Jinping’s trip to the Brics summit in Kazan next month.

Putin expects Xi to attend the summit from October 22-24 and hold a third in-person meeting with him this year.

On Tuesday, Shoigu, a longtime ally of Putin, pledged to strengthen strategic communication and cooperation with China to ensure the Brics summit’s success.

As tensions with the West rise, Beijing and Moscow are increasingly focusing on the Global South, which represents 40 per cent of global GDP and 80 per cent of its population. Russia is chairing this year’s Brics summit, an alliance of China, India, Russia, Brazil, and South Africa aimed at countering the Western-led order.

China will also assume the rotating presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) for the coming year. Founded by China and Russia in 2001, the SCO includes India, Pakistan, Iran, Belarus, and four Central Asian nations.

On Tuesday, Shoigu, who was Russia’s former defence minister from 2012 until May, said Moscow supported China’s presidency of the SCO.

With inputs from agencies