By Riyaz ul Khaliq
ISTANBUL (AA) – China and the US should “shoulder their share of international responsibilities” for world peace and tranquility, Chinese President Xi Jinping told his US counterpart on Friday.
Following almost a two-hour long video call between the two presidents, a Chinese government statement said the two sides agreed that the call was “constructive.”
Xi said the US and NATO should talk with Russia to “address the crux of the Ukrainian crisis,” according to the statement.
Speaking of Western sanctions on Russia, Xi said: “Sweeping and indiscriminate sanctions would only make the people suffer. If further escalated, they could trigger serious crises in global economy and trade, finance, energy, food, and industrial and supply chains, crippling the already languishing world economy and causing irrevocable losses.”
Beijing has restrained from condemning Russia’s war on Ukraine and instead stressed dialogue and peaceful solution to the crisis.
"Whatever the circumstances, there is always a need for political courage to create space for peace and leave room for political settlement," Xi said.
The Russia-Ukraine war, which started on Feb. 24, has drawn international condemnation, led to financial restrictions on Moscow, and spurred an exodus of global firms from Russia.
At least 816 civilians have been killed and 1,333 injured in Ukraine since the beginning of the war, the UN said, while noting that figure is actually probably higher.
More than 3.27 million people have also fled to neighboring countries, said the UN refugee agency.
Xi said that the world “is neither tranquil nor stable.”
“The Ukraine crisis is not something we want to see. The events again show countries should not come to the point of meeting on the battlefield,” the Chinese president said, adding that conflict and confrontation "are not in anyone’s interest."
He said peace and security are “what the international community should treasure the most.”
The Chinese president said leaders of the major countries “need to think about how to properly address global hotspot issues and keep in mind global stability and the work and life of billions of people.”
Xi acknowledged that “differences between China and the US will remain.”
“What matters is to keep such differences under control. A steadily growing relationship is in the interest of both sides,” he told Biden.
According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the two presidents "directed their teams to promptly follow up and take concrete actions to put China-US relations back on the track of steady development, and make respective efforts for the proper settlement of the Ukraine crisis.”
- ‘Wrong signal’ on Taiwan
Referring to self-ruled Taiwan, Xi said: “Some in the US have sent a wrong signal to ‘Taiwan independence’ forces, which is very dangerous.”
“Mishandling of the Taiwan question will have a disruptive impact on the bilateral ties. China hopes that the US will give due attention to this issue,” said Xi.
China considers Taiwan as its “breakaway province” and has not ruled out using force to unite it with mainland.
The US formally recognized China in 1979 and shifted diplomatic relations from Taipei to Beijing, including Taiwan as part of mainland China.
The Taiwan Relations Act, a 1979 law, has guided US relations with Taiwan. Ties have also been informed by what is known as the Three Communiques, which are bilateral agreements with China.