China and South Africa insist that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine needs to be resolved through negotiations, Chinese leader Xi Jinping and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a joint statement following their talks in Beijing on Sept. 2. “The two sides agreed that an inclusive dialogue and peace talks are the only possible way of finding a long-term political solution to the crisis,” the document reads. China and South Africa call on the conflicting sides to abide by three principles: to not expand the battlefield, to not escalate the hostilities, and to not fuel the conflict.