China flatly denied it tried to stop other countries from attending a Swiss-led Ukraine peace summit this month, describing its position as “fair and impartial”, South China Morning Post reports.
Asked on Monday about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s claim that Beijing tried to prevent other countries from attending the gathering, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning rejected the suggestion.
“China’s diplomatic approach does not involve hegemony or coercion,” Mao said.
“So I want to emphasise that China’s position is open and transparent, and it is absolutely not putting pressure on other countries.”
Mao was responding to comments Zelensky made on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore on Sunday.
While discussing Beijing’s potential role in resolving the war in Ukraine, Zelensky accused China of pressuring other countries to boycott the summit.
He expressed concerns that China’s support for Russia would likely prolong the war, and that would have negative consequences for the world.
“Russia, using Chinese influence in the region, using Chinese diplomats also, does everything to disrupt the peace summit,” he said.
“Regrettably, this is unfortunate that such a big independent powerful country as China is an instrument in the hands of [Russian leader Vladimir] Putin.”
Zelensky also warned that China’s actions would contradict its own claims of upholding sovereignty and territorial integrity.
But Mao said that from the start, China had placed great importance on Switzerland hosting the summit and had maintained close communication with all relevant parties, including Switzerland and Ukraine.
