French MFA urges China to avoid any support for Russia
French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Catherine Colonna (Photo: Getty Images)
French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Catherine Colonna, following a brief visit to Beijing, stated her expectation for vigilance from the Chinese government to avoid any support for Russian military actions in Ukraine, reports France 24.
"We intended to engage in an in-depth dialogue with China regarding global issues, of course, but also concerning major crises, notably the ongoing aggressive war by Russia in Ukraine," stated Colonna during a joint press conference with her colleague Wang Yi.
However, she admitted that she had "not yet discussed" these matters with him during her visit.
"We count on the vigilance of the Chinese authorities so that no structure in China, especially private, makes a direct or indirect contribution to Russia's illegal military actions," she said.
"In this conflict, cooperation with China is necessary to ensure a fair and robust peace," she emphasized.
China's position on the war
The Chinese government officially claims to maintain a neutral position on Russia's war against Ukraine. Earlier, Beijing was suspected of supplying weapons to Russia, but China has denied these allegations.
However, the Pentagon recently released a report proving that Russia is massively purchasing drones, firearms, and protective equipment from China.
China has expressed a desire to act as a peacemaker and offered its peaceful plan for Ukraine. However, the Ukrainian government criticized it.
During the period of Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Chinese leader Xi Jinping only spoke on the phone once.
