BEIJING: German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has urged China to ask Russia to halt its military aggression in Ukraine, stating that no other country has more influence on Russia than China.
Baerbock expressed her concerns over human rights issues and escalating tensions with Taiwan during a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang in Beijing.
She questioned why China’s position did not include a call on Russia to stop the war and warned that a military escalation and aggression in the Taiwan Strait would be a “horror situation for the whole world”.
Baerbock’s visit to China follows that of French President Emmanuel Macron and the European Commission head, Ursula von der Leyen, who also urged China to play a greater and key role in resolving the crisis.
China has maintained itself as a neutral mediator in the Ukraine conflict, but its refusal to condemn the Russian invasion and a recent visit to Moscow by Chinese President Xi Jinping has led Western countries to accuse it of favouring Russia.
Qin stated that China believed the only way to resolve the Ukraine conflict was to promote peace and talks and insisted that China had not provided weapons and ammunition to either side.
China has adopted a responsible and prudent approach, avoiding supplying weapons to conflicting parties and controlling the export of dual-use items.
Baerbock also raised concerns with Qin about the scope for civil society engagement in China continuing to shrink and human rights being curtailed.
Germany highlights human rights violations in Xinjiang
She referred to Xinjiang, where a UN report detailed a string of rights violations against Uyghurs and other Muslim minority communities in the province, including allegations of widespread torture, arbitrary detention, and violations of religious and reproductive rights.
Qin argued that the situation in Xinjiang province was not a human rights issue but an issue of anti-violence, anti-groupings, and anti-secession.
In response to Baerbock’s visit, China announced that Defence Minister Li Shangfu would visit Russia at the invitation of his counterpart Sergei Shoigu to discuss the state and prospects of mutual cooperation in the defence sphere and the issues of global and regional security.
The Russian defence ministry stated that the two would discuss the state and prospects of mutual cooperation in the defence sphere and the issues of global and regional security.
