China’s new Foreign Minister, Qin Gang, held his first press conference on March 7 on the sidelines of China’s ongoing National People’s Congress, and answered a battery of 15 questions posed to him by national and international media over nearly two hours. He said that “major changes, unseen in the past 100 years, are taking place globally. Under the circumstances, China will pursue a peaceful and independent foreign policy and stick to mutually advantageous strategies.”
On the Ukraine crisis, he said that the situation had reached a critical branch point: “There will either be cessation of hostilities, restoration of peace and a move towards political settlement, or fuel will be added to the fire, the crisis will expand, and the situation will get out of control.” The diplomat pointed out that now is the time for “calmness, sanity and dialogue,” insisting that talks “should start as soon as possible… The legitimate security concerns of all parties should be respected.” China recently presented a 12-point program to peacefully resolve the Ukraine crisis, referring to the document on “China’s Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis.”
