The Chinese government said it would not provide weapons to Russia to fight Ukraine, now or in the future.

“We do not and will not supply weapons to parties in conflict,” said Foreign Minister Qin Gang after almost two hours of talks with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock in Beijing.

He said dual-use goods, which could be used for civilian as well as military purposes, were controlled by law.

The Chinese role in Ukraine was to promote reconciliation and advance peace negotiations, said Qin Gang.

“We will not continue to pour oil on the fire,” he said.

His comments came after Ms Baerbock urged China to more strongly encourage President Vladimir Putin to end Russia’s war on Ukraine.

She said Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow had shown that no other country had more influence on Russia than China.

“The decision on how it uses this influence directly affects Europe’s core interests,” Ms Baerbock said.

Just as China had successfully engaged in peaceful reconciliation between Iran and Saudi Arabia, it was  hoped that China would encourage Russia to finally end its aggression in Ukraine and engage in peaceful conflict resolution, she said.

She said China, as a permanent member of the Security Council, also had a special responsibility and commended the country for signalling its commitment to finding a solution, referring to a 12-point position paper issued by China that was criticised in the West.

“But I have to say frankly that I wonder why the Chinese positioning so far does not include calling on the aggressor Russia to stop the war. We all know President Putin will have the opportunity to do that at any time,” Ms Baerbock said.

She said it was equally crucial “not to allow arms shipments to Russia that further prolong this aggression and also to prevent dual-use goods from being used for war.” 

(dpa/NAN)