China Calls for De-escalation of Ukraine Conflict

China’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Sun Lei, has called for de-escalation of the Ukraine conflict, stating that its current direction is deeply worrying. Sun noted that the conflicting parties continue to launch military attacks with greater intensity, scale, and scope than before, resulting in numerous civilian casualties and damage to infrastructure. Addressing the UN Security Council, Sun said China condemns all attacks against civilians and urges the relevant parties to halt attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure. Sun also called on all parties to exercise restraint and make every effort to de-escalate the situation. “Lately, the conflicting parties have been trapped in a cycle of military confrontation and mutual retaliation, which not only causes profound suffering for civilians but also further fuels hatred and exacerbates the conflict, making the path to peace negotiations increasingly arduous and difficult,” he said. “The conflicting parties must remain calm and exercise restraint, strictly abide by international humanitarian law, and make every effort to de-escalate tensions, thereby creating conditions for an early ceasefire and an end to hostilities.” Sun said all parties must remain patient, actively demonstrate political will, resume dialogue and negotiations as soon as possible, and strive to reach a comprehensive, sustainable, and binding peace agreement. According to Sun, as each party has its own security interests, they need to seek the greatest common ground that can accommodate each other’s security concerns, address the root causes of the conflict in accordance with the principles of the UN Charter, promote the formation of a balanced, effective, and sustainable regional security architecture, and achieve long-term stability and peace in the region. Sun affirmed that China is committed to promoting a political settlement of the crisis and has consistently maintained an objective and impartial stance on the Ukraine issue. He said China continues to actively communicate and engage with all parties and consistently promotes peace talks in its own way. He added that China wishes to continue working with the international community and play a constructive role in promoting a political settlement of the crisis as soon as possible.