Rejected Before Published: Chinese Plan And Its Consequences

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On February 24, Beijing shared its plan of the settlement of the military conflict in Ukraine. The Chinese Foreign Ministry published it on its website on the year anniversary of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine.

The plan included 12 points :

1. Respecting the sovereignty of all countries. Universally recognized international law, including the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, must be strictly observed. The sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries must be effectively upheld. All countries, big or small, strong or weak, rich or poor, are equal members of the international community. All parties should jointly uphold the basic norms governing international relations and defend international fairness and justice. Equal and uniform application of international law should be promoted, while double standards must be rejected.

2. Abandoning the Cold War mentality. The security of a country should not be pursued at the expense of others. The security of a region should not be achieved by strengthening or expanding military blocs. The legitimate security interests and concerns of all countries must be taken seriously and addressed properly. There is no simple solution to a complex issue. All parties should, following the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security and bearing in mind the long-term peace and stability of the world, help forge a balanced, effective and sustainable European security architecture. All parties should oppose the pursuit of one’s own security at the cost of others’ security, prevent bloc confrontation, and work together for peace and stability on the Eurasian Continent.

3. Ceasing hostilities. Conflict and war benefit no one. All parties must stay rational and exercise restraint, avoid fanning the flames and aggravating tensions, and prevent the crisis from deteriorating further or even spiraling out of control. All parties should support Russia and Ukraine in working in the same direction and resuming direct dialogue as quickly as possible, so as to gradually deescalate the situation and ultimately reach a comprehensive ceasefire.

4. Resuming peace talks. Dialogue and negotiation are the only viable solution to the Ukraine crisis. All efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis must be encouraged and supported. The international community should stay committed to the right approach of promoting talks for peace, help parties to the conflict open the door to a political settlement as soon as possible, and create conditions and platforms for the resumption of negotiation. China will continue to play a constructive role in this regard.

5. Resolving the humanitarian crisis. All measures conducive to easing the humanitarian crisis must be encouraged and supported. Humanitarian operations should follow the principles of neutrality and impartiality, and humanitarian issues should not be politicized. The safety of civilians must be effectively protected, and humanitarian corridors should be set up for the evacuation of civilians from conflict zones. Efforts are needed to increase humanitarian assistance to relevant areas, improve humanitarian conditions, and provide rapid, safe and unimpeded humanitarian access, with a view to preventing a humanitarian crisis on a larger scale. The UN should be supported in playing a coordinating role in channeling humanitarian aid to conflict zones.

6. Protecting civilians and prisoners of war (POWs). Parties to the conflict should strictly abide by international humanitarian law, avoid attacking civilians or civilian facilities, protect women, children and other victims of the conflict, and respect the basic rights of POWs. China supports the exchange of POWs between Russia and Ukraine, and calls on all parties to create more favorable conditions for this purpose.

7. Keeping nuclear power plants safe. China opposes armed attacks against nuclear power plants or other peaceful nuclear facilities, and calls on all parties to comply with international law including the Convention on Nuclear Safety (CNS) and resolutely avoid man-made nuclear accidents. China supports the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in playing a constructive role in promoting the safety and security of peaceful nuclear facilities.

8. Reducing strategic risks. Nuclear weapons must not be used and nuclear wars must not be fought. The threat or use of nuclear weapons should be opposed. Nuclear proliferation must be prevented and nuclear crisis avoided. China opposes the research, development and use of chemical and biological weapons by any country under any circumstances.

9. Facilitating grain exports. All parties need to implement the Black Sea Grain Initiative signed by Russia, Türkiye, Ukraine and the UN fully and effectively in a balanced manner, and support the UN in playing an important role in this regard. The cooperation initiative on global food security proposed by China provides a feasible solution to the global food crisis.

10. Stopping unilateral sanctions. Unilateral sanctions and maximum pressure cannot solve the issue; they only create new problems. China opposes unilateral sanctions unauthorized by the UN Security Council. Relevant countries should stop abusing unilateral sanctions and “long-arm jurisdiction” against other countries, so as to do their share in deescalating the Ukraine crisis and create conditions for developing countries to grow their economies and better the lives of their people.

11. Keeping industrial and supply chains stable. All parties should earnestly maintain the existing world economic system and oppose using the world economy as a tool or weapon for political purposes. Joint efforts are needed to mitigate the spillovers of the crisis and prevent it from disrupting international cooperation in energy, finance, food trade and transportation and undermining the global economic recovery.

12. Promoting post-conflict reconstruction. The international community needs to take measures to support post-conflict reconstruction in conflict zones. China stands ready to provide assistance and play a constructive role in this endeavor.

The plan proposed by the Chinese People’s Republic is quite neutral and reflects the balanced position towards the interests of the warring sides. It highlights Beijing’s commitment to its policy aimed at deescalation if the military conflict.

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In its turn, Washington made it clear that it would reject the Chinese plan even before it was published. On February 24, there was only one question, what kind of rhetoric the White House would choose to reject another peace plan without openly declaring its will to instigate and prolong the war as much as possible.

The US reaction was voiced by President Joe Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan. He likely made one of his most hypocritical statements. Years after the full-scaled war on Ukrainian territories which was de facto launched and coordinated by Washington, Sullivan remembered about the “sovereignty” of Ukraine as soon as there are talks about the ceasefire.

He declared that the United States allegedly would not dictate to Ukraine the conditions for the end of this conflict. Sullivan advised China to focus on the first point of the plan, which is respect for the sovereignty of other states. According to the US official, Ukrainians themselves are the only to make decisions about their future.

Sullivan’s sugary speech was made soon after US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland commented on the Chinese peace initiative, claiming that the White House is against a “cynical ceasefire”, once again demonstrating that the lives of people in mean nothing to Washington.

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It is not surprising that Zelensky, who is president of the country which has been suffering from the military aggression and has  no means to defend its territory without the multi-billion foreign support, rejected the Chinese peace plan. So far, there is no official reaction from Kiev to Beijing’s proposals but the day before, Zelensky ruled out the possibility of implementing a peace plan from Chinese President, before the plan was published on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

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Despite the fact that the Chinese peace plan is too conceptual and does not contain any strict requirements and threats to any of the warring sides, it revealed Chinese readiness to become a mediator loyal to Russia, as well as to Ukraine.

The very fact that this plan was presented and the recent increase of contacts between the Russian and Chinese top officials confirm that China is “fed up” with the impunity of the West. Beijing has finally decided which side it should be on, at least on the diplomatic level, even if it does not speak about it officially.

The West’s refusal to accept the plan will unite Beijing’s efforts to accuse the US and its puppets of unilaterally rejecting any peaceful settlement in the war-torn country. This may lead to more active Chinese support for Russia.

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