China on Wednesday accused the United States of ‘raising tensions and creating panic’ over the Ukraine crisis, shortly after Washington announced sanctions against Moscow and said it would continue to supply weapons to Ukraine against a Russian invasion.
Beijing has trod a cautious line on Ukraine as Moscow has massed thousands of troops on the borders, and criticised the West for new sanctions after Russia ordered troops into two breakaway Ukrainian regions it now recognises as independent.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying rejected imposing unilateral sanctions on Russia and reiterated resolving the tensions with Ukraine through dialogue and consultation.
“Sanctions have never been an effective way to solve problems, and China has always opposed unilateral sanctions,” Hua told a daily press conference when asked if China would join Western countries in sanctioning Russia over Ukraine.
“As the culprit behind the escalated tension between Ukraine and Russia, what role does the U.S. play? What have they done? It is irresponsible and unethical to accuse others of ineffective firefighting while adding fuel to fire,” she argued.
When talking about China’s role in the Ukraine-Russian crisis, Hua said Beijing has been calling for dialogue and negotiations.
The U.S. has spread fear by consistently sending weapons to Ukraine, she said, contrasting with China’s call on countries and relevant parties to respect and pay attention to each other’s legitimate concerns, to solve the problem through negotiations, and to uphold regional peace and stability jointly.
