Warsaw has demanded that Beijing side with Kiev and condemn Moscow
Deputy Foreign Minister Wojciech Gerwel and Ambassador Li Hui of China meet in Warsaw, Poland, May 19, 2023. © Barbara Wojciechowska/Polish Foreign Ministry
Poland’s deputy foreign minister told China’s special envoy, Li Hui, on Friday that Warsaw disapproved of the growing relationship between Beijing and Moscow.
“Poland notes with concern Beijing’s declarations concerning its persistent will to strengthen its bilateral relations with Russia, the aggressor state,” the Polish Foreign Ministry said, according to a readout of the meeting.
Deputy Minister Wojciech Gerwel also told the Chinese diplomat that “any military aid, including the potential supply of weapons from China to Russia, may result in a grave [sic] consequences for the bilateral relationship between Europe and China.”
Ambassador Li, in his capacity as Beijing’s special envoy for Eurasian affairs, is on a week-long tour in Europe to promote a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis. He told Gerwel that China stands behind the 12-point roadmap for peace it had unveiled in February. Li argued for a ceasefire and peace talks, and said the current situation in Ukraine is not in anyone’s interest.
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According to the Polish Foreign Ministry, Gerwel insisted it was unacceptable to “equalize the status” of the aggressor and the victim, and that China must “exert pressure on Russia to return to compliance with the principles of international law.”
Li was in Kiev on Thursday, meeting with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba. The Chinese diplomat reiterated that Beijing was willing to serve as a peace broker to help reach a political resolution to the conflict.
The Chinese envoy’s itinerary will take him to France next, followed by Germany and Russia. He will also visit the EU headquarters in Brussels, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin.
“China stands ready to continue to promote talks for peace and make China’s contribution to the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis,” Wang told reporters at the daily briefing in Beijing on Friday.
In March, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. During his trip, Xi said that the friendship between the countries was growing “day by day.”
