War in Ukraine: China ‘deeply worried’ about escalation of Ukraine invasion

The Chinese government has warned it is “deeply worried” about the escalation of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, saying the conflict could “spiral out of control”.

In his speech for the launch event of the Chinese government’s Global Security Initiative Concept paper (GSI), in which the Chinese Communist Party highlighted its principles for global co-operation, foreign minister Qin Gang also called for countries to refrain from shifting blame for the conflict to China and stop touting a “Ukraine today, Taiwan tomorrow” narrative.

His comments come as Russian president Vladimir Putin suspended Russia’s participation in the New Start nuclear arms treaty with the US.

Mr Gang said: “China is deeply worried about the escalation of the conflict and the possible spiral out of control. China has throughout taken the objective and impartial manner based on the merits of the issue. China will continue to promote peace talks and contribute to the political settlement of the crisis.”

China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang speaks at the Lanting Forum at the Foreign Ministry in Beijing on Tuesday.

In the paper, the Chinese government said one of its aims was to be “committed to respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries”. China does not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, instead claiming sovereignty over the territory as part of the “One China” policy, the paper said.

The document also said China wanted to take the legitimate security concerns of all countries seriously; abide by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and peacefully resolve differences and disputes between countries through dialogue and consultation. In addition, the country wants to maintain security “in both traditional and non-traditional domains”, such as cyber security.

The paper warned the issue of global security “bears on the future of humanity”.

The document said: “Today, our world, our times and history are changing in ways like never before, and the international community is confronted with multiple risks and challenges rarely seen before. The deficits in peace, development, security and governance are growing, and the world is once again at a crossroads in history.”

It added: “The GSI aims to eliminate the root causes of international conflicts, improve global security governance, encourage joint international efforts to bring more stability and certainty to a volatile and changing era, and promote durable peace and development in the world.”