French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said on Nov. 24 that China's support is crucial in bringing lasting peace to Ukraine and urged Beijing not to back Russia's war, the Associated Press reported.
"We are counting on the vigilance of Chinese authorities so that no structure in China, particularly private, contributes directly or indirectly to Russia's illegal war effort in Ukraine," Colonna said after talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during her trip to China.
The French minister also asked Beijing to continue working on its own Ukraine peace proposal. China presented its peace plan earlier this year but attracted criticism from the West as it did not include the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.
China has built close ties with Russia and has not denounced its war against Ukraine nor joined international sanctions.
Although Beijing has not publicly provided direct military support to the Kremlin, Western intelligence suggested that China has been supplying Russia with large amounts of dual-use goods with military applications.
Despite political differences, the EU and the U.S. have repeatedly appealed to China to use its influence on Moscow to bring an end to the Ukraine invasion.
"This war has to finish. And in order to finish the war, there have to be negotiations for peace," the EU's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said during his visit to China in October.
"The best way for us to take these negotiations (forward) is Ukraine's peace formula – and we count on China to support this."
European officials' trips to China are meant to pave the way for the upcoming EU-China summit in December.
Katie Marie Davies
(Updated: )
