Chinese ambassador: Beijing considering participation in peace formula summit

China is considering taking part in talks on Ukraine's peace formula in the coming months, Chinese Ambassador to Switzerland Wang Shihting told Swiss newspaper Neue Zuercher Zeitung on March 18.

Ukraine's ambassador to China, Pavlo Riabikin, confirmed in January that China had been invited to participate in talks on Ukraine's peace formula, set to be held in Switzerland in the coming months.

President Volodymyr Zelensky first presented the peace formula, a 10-point peace plan to end Russia's war in Ukraine, at the G20 summit in November 2022.

China previously participated in similar talks that were hosted by Saudi Arabia in August 2023. The date for the summit in Switzerland has not yet been set.

"China is in favor of promoting peace talks and has always been committed to it," Wang told the paper.

Wang said that China has "presented a strategy for a political end to the conflict: the territorial sovereignty of all countries must be respected."

"All parties should work to end the war," Wang said. "We are closely following the Ukraine conference that Switzerland will host and are examining the possibility of participation."

Ukraine is keeping diplomatic channels with China open, even though Beijing has maintained close ties with Moscow during the war. European officials have urged Beijing to use its influence over Moscow to help end the war.

Earlier in March, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi praised the strengthening of relations between Beijing and Russia, and claimed that China is a "force for peace."

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