China supports real peace progress in Ukraine

After more than two years of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Switzerland will host the "Summit on Peace in Ukraine" on June 15 and 16, hoping it would lay the groundwork for a peace process leading to the end of hostilities in Eurasia.

To prevent any more casualties and economic damage, and eventually restore peace in Ukraine, China is willing to participate in all peace processes. In fact, Li Hui, China's special envoy for Eurasian Affairs, has shuttled three times between countries in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. However, severe challenges persist in resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict and establishing lasting peace in the region.

As such, China attaches great importance to the peace meeting in Switzerland, and has maintained close communication with Switzerland and other countries since the beginning of this year.

However, it is imperative that both Russia and Ukraine take part in the peace meeting, because without their representatives, the "peace conference" would be meaningless. And global leaders should persuade Moscow and Kyiv to hold peace talks in order to resolve their disputes.

That's why while communicating with Switzerland and other stakeholders, China had been advocating that all international peace meetings should have a three-point criterion: recognition of both Russia and Ukraine as parties to the conflict, participation of all stakeholders, and holding of fair discussions on all peace proposals.

Surprisingly, Russia, despite being a direct party to the conflict, has not been invited to the so-called peace summit. If the peace conference is held without Russian participation, it would violate the basic principle of organizing a peace conference: presence of all parties to a conflict to negotiate peace.

With only one party to the conflict, Ukraine, participating the peace conference will become a trial in absentia of the other party, Russia, making it impossible to enforce any resolution passed by the conference. As a matter of fact, the peace conference will be seen as a gathering of certain countries to help one party and against the other party. The peace conference is doomed not to peace, but further escalation of the conflict.

Surprisingly, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Singapore on June 1 to attend the Shangri-La Dialogue and deliver a speech, with the aim of inviting more individuals to the "peace summit".

Surprisingly, even the United States may not be represented at the peace meeting by President Joe Biden. Instead, some lower-level officials are likely to participate in the so-called peace summit.

So, although the organizers claim to have sent invitations to about 160 countries around the world, the number of countries actually participating in the meeting has been decreasing. For example, the major regional powers such as Brazil, South Africa, Pakistan and other countries will not participate. Hence, the so-called peace summit will not have the authority to pass a binding resolution to achieve its goals.

The upcoming so-called peace summit has rejected the three-point criterion for the peace meeting, prompting China to say that the participants in the Switzerland meeting lack sincerity. China is a sovereign state and has its own cognition of facts, history and international relations. It is also fully aware of its international responsibilities. And it made its stance on the Ukraine crisis crystal clear, suggesting ways to help restore peace in Eurasia, in the position paper, "China's Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukrainian Crisis", it released on Feb 24, 2023.

In the "Common Understanding between China and Brazil on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis", which the two countries signed on May 23, 2024, China reiterated its position on finding a peaceful, political solution to the Ukraine crisis. Choosing to be on the right side of history, China supports real peace progress and is opposed to playing games such as pretending to treat all parties equally and in a fair manner but doing just the opposite — by holding a trial in absentia.

As for Ukraine, China respects its sovereignty and territorial integrity. With regard to Russia, China aims to develop a comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era based on the principles of non-confrontation, non-alignment, and non-targeting of third parties.

Given its traditional status as a neutral country, Switzerland has been advocating neutrality and promoting peace. It is in this spirit that Switzerland organized the meeting to find ways to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine. China fully understands and respects Switzerland's efforts to help resolve the conflict.

Although China refuses to participate in the Switzerland peace meeting, it does not mean it has given up its position on brokering peace and promoting negotiations. China has made it clear that it will continue to promote the peace process in its own way, maintain communication with all parties, and accumulate conditions for a political solution to the Ukrainian crisis.

China supports the efforts of parties, to peacefully settle the Russia-Ukraine conflict. But such peace summits are nothing but a mockery of international relations and farcical attempts to fool the world.

The author is deputy secretary-general of the Center for Belt and Road, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

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