At the start of his March 31-April 2 trip to Moscow, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi gave an interview to Russian state-owned RIA Novosti on April 1, in which he said China advocates, and seeks to achieve, a “fair, long-term, binding” peace agreement to end the war in Ukraine. As well, he outlined the character and responsibility of the China-Russia comprehensive relationship for the two countries and for the world.
Responding to a question in the Russian-language interview about China’s view on “President Trump’s latest ideas for a Ukrainian settlement?” Wang replied: “The Ukrainian crisis, which is called the largest geopolitical conflict since the end of the Cold War, has been going on for four years now. From the very first day after the outbreak of the crisis, we have been advocating for a political settlement through dialogue and negotiations, and we support any efforts aimed at restoring peace. This position corresponds to the aspirations of the majority of countries in the world community.
“We draw attention to the repeated statements of the Russian side, in particular President Putin, that Moscow has not refused and does not refuse dialogue as a means of resolving the conflict. Although the situation on the battlefield is not easy at all, there is a tendency towards peace talks. President Putin and President Trump have already spoken on the phone twice, the Moscow and Washington teams are in contact, a serious conversation has taken place on the political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis and the improvement of Russian-American relations, and certain results have been achieved. A step towards peace, although not that big, is constructive—it is worth taking. You can’t get peace lying down, you need to work and achieve it with work.”
On May 23, 2024, China and Brazil launched a proposal, “Common Understandings Between China and Brazil on Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis,” actively sponsored by China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi and visiting Brazilian Celso Amorim, Chief Advisor to the President of Brazil. The agreement between “China and Brazil support an international peace conference held at a proper time that is recognized by both Russia and Ukraine.” China’s President Xi Jinping and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva have campaigned for this with fellow heads of state, forming a grouping now called “Friends of Peace,” backed by South Africa, Egypt, Indonesia, Türkiye, and other countries from the Global South, which has laid the foundation for U.S. President Trump to now advance his peace proposal.
