SAEDNEWS: China’s Foreign Ministry dismissed a German media report claiming Beijing plans to deploy peacekeepers to Ukraine, stressing that its position on the crisis remains unchanged.
According to Saed News, quoting ISNA, Guo Jiakun, spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a press conference regarding the report by the German newspaper Die Welt about China’s alleged readiness to send peacekeeping forces to Ukraine, said: “This report is not true.”
The spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed that “China’s position on the Ukraine crisis is consistent and clear.”
Earlier, the German newspaper reported that Beijing was willing to send troops to Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping mission. The newspaper Welt am Sonntag, which claimed to have obtained exclusive information on the matter, reported that in Europe this news has faced mixed reactions, since China would only agree under a specific condition.
EU diplomats, citing Chinese government sources, told Welt am Sonntag that Beijing would only be willing to do so if “peacekeeping forces are deployed under a United Nations mandate.”
According to the German media report, in Brussels, Beijing’s plan has faced differing reactions. On the one hand, it is said that the participation of countries from the Global South, such as China, could increase the acceptance of deploying foreign forces to monitor peace.
On the other hand, a senior EU diplomat familiar with the ongoing discussions told Welt am Sonntag: “There is also the risk that China primarily seeks to spy in Ukraine and, in the event of conflict, would take a pro-Russian rather than a neutral stance.”
