China used the 2024 session of the United Nations General Assembly, held in New York in the last week of September, to further intensify its diplomatic push for a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Ukraine.
On September 27, a ministerial meeting of the “Friends for Peace” group on the Ukraine crisis was held at the UN headquarters, co-chaired by Foreign Minister Wang Yi along with Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira and Chief Advisor of the Presidency of Brazil Celso Luiz Nunes Amorim. Representatives from 17 Global South countries were present, including the foreign ministers of Egypt, Indonesia, South Africa, Mexico and Zambia.
Wang Yi said, “We gather here with a single purpose: to seek peace… The original intention of this meeting is to unite more forces and amplify stronger voices to contribute Global South countries’ efforts to promoting a ceasefire and achieving lasting peace.”
He emphasised that in the choice between peace and war, the world must resolutely choose peace. “The more critical the situation and the more serious the crisis, the more we cannot give up hope for peace, and the more we cannot slacken our efforts for peace.”
In the choice between dialogue and confrontation, it is essential to firmly choose dialogue. No matter how great the conflicts or how deep the contradictions are, everything must ultimately return to the track of dialogue and negotiation. At the onset of the full escalation of the Ukraine crisis, both Russia and Ukraine were close to reaching an agreement, but it ultimately fell through, and the reasons for this should be reflected upon. [This clearly refers to the efforts of a handful of imperialist countries, principally the United States and Britain, to pressurise, goad and incite Ukraine to reject peace, even when they had already agreed to terms that would have ended the conflict.]
Wang Yi added that Brazil, China, South Africa, Egypt, Indonesia, Türkiye and other countries, as partners of the Global South committed to the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, agreed to launch the “Friends of Peace” initiative on the Ukraine crisis at the platform of the United Nations. The “Friends of Peace” platform is not about taking sides in the conflict, engaging in bloc confrontation, or replacing existing platforms. It is open and welcomes the joining of more like-minded countries, in particular, Global South countries.
In a joint communique issued by the meeting, the participating countries underlined the importance of peaceful solutions for all international conflicts, whilst continuing to promote the spirit of solidarity and partnership between nations, as emphasised by the Bandung principles.
It further stated:
“We call for increased humanitarian assistance and protection of civilians, including women and children. Civilian infrastructures, including peaceful nuclear facilities and other energy facilities should not be the targets of military operation. We support mediation efforts for the exchange of prisoners of war (POWs) between the parties to the conflict.
“We call for refraining from the use or the threat of weapons of mass destruction, particularly nuclear weapons and chemical and biological weapons. All efforts must be made to prevent nuclear proliferation and avoid a nuclear war. All parties must comply with relevant international laws and agreements and resolutely prevent man-made nuclear accidents.”
The following articles were originally published on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
“Friends for Peace” Group on the Ukraine Crisis Set up in the United Nations
Sep 28 (MFA) — On September 27, 2024 local time, a ministerial meeting of the “Friends for Peace” group on the Ukraine crisis was held at the UN headquarters in New York. The meeting was co-chaired by Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi as well as Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira and Chief Advisor of the Presidency of Brazil Celso Luiz Nunes Amorim. Representatives from 17 Global South countries were present, including Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Ozzy Lamola, Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Bárcena, and Zambian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Mulambo Haimbe.
Wang Yi said, “We gather here with a single purpose: to seek peace.” The Ukraine crisis has entered its third year. The fighting is still raging, the risks of spillover are rising, the dawn of peace has yet to emerge, and the developments in the situation are concerning. The original intention of this meeting is to unite more forces and amplify stronger voices to contribute Global South countries’ efforts to promoting a ceasefire and achieving lasting peace.
Wang Yi pointed out that on the Ukraine issue, China has all long held an objective and impartial position, promoted peace talks and stood on the side of peace. President Xi Jinping has put forward the principled position of “four points about what must be done”, which serve as the fundamental guidelines for China’s approach to the Ukraine issue. Based on this, China has issued the document titled “China’s Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis” and has sent a special envoy to engage in shuttle diplomacy. China has also jointly issued the “six common understandings” with Brazil. China’s proposals and mediation efforts have received widespread response from the international community, particularly from Global South countries. Wang Yi emphasized that in the choice between peace and war, the world must resolutely choose peace. “The more critical the situation and the more serious the crisis, the more we cannot give up hope for peace, and the more we cannot slacken our efforts for peace.” The conflict in Ukraine has already lasted long enough. Noting that the pressing task is to de-escalate the situation, Wang Yi said China is ready to work with Brazil to once again call for observing “three principles” for deescalating the conflict, namely no expansion of the battlefield, no escalation of fighting and no fanning up the flames by any party, in particular, no use of weapons of mass destruction or no attack on nuclear power plants and other peaceful nuclear facilities. The international community should firmly stand on the side of peace, accumulating conditions for peace and striving for hope for peace.
In the choice between reconciliation and hatred, it is essential to firmly choose reconciliation. Russia and Ukraine are neighbors always be there for each other, and peaceful coexistence is the shared aspiration of all parties and the only correct choice. It is necessary to respect the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries, observe the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, value the legitimate security concerns of all countries, and ensure the legitimate living space of all ethnic groups. The Russian and Ukrainian peoples have lived together on the same land, creating a shared history. There should be no unresolved grievances; instead, they should work together to open up a better future.
In the choice between dialogue and confrontation, it is essential to firmly choose dialogue. No matter how great the conflicts or how deep the contradictions are, everything must ultimately return to the track of dialogue and negotiation. At the onset of the full escalation of the Ukraine crisis, both Russia and Ukraine were close to reaching an agreement, but it ultimately fell through, and the reasons for this should be reflected upon. China hopes that the parties involved will consider resuming peace talks at an appropriate time, meet each other halfway in their dialogue, and seek common ground while shelving differences in their negotiations, fairly discuss all peace plans, and promote the establishment of a new security architecture.
Wang Yi said that Brazil, China, South Africa, Egypt, Indonesia, Türkiye and other countries, as partners of the Global South committed to the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, agreed to launch the “Friends of Peace” initiative on the Ukraine crisis at the platform of the United Nations. The “Friends of Peace” platform is not about taking sides in the conflict, engaging in bloc confrontation, or replacing existing platforms. They hope to rely on the United Nations to bring together more Global South countries and send more objective, balanced and rational voices, so as to accumulate conditions and create an atmosphere for a ceasefire, an end to hostilities and the resumption of peace talks. The “Friends of Peace” platform is open and welcomes the joining of more like-minded countries, in particular, Global South countries.
Joint Communique
Sep 28 (MFA) — Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Senior Representatives of a group of countries from the Global South met on the margin of the general debate of the 79th session of the General Assembly, on 27 September 2024. Upon the conclusion of the meeting, Algeria, Bolivia, Brazil, China, Colombia, Egypt, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Mexico, South Africa, Türkiye, and Zambia issued the following joint communique:
1. We are deeply concerned about the ongoing hostilities in Ukraine and the risks of its further escalation. We are worried about the risks and crises arising from this conflict which has caused repercussions affecting many countries, including those in the Global South.
2. We call on upholding the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, respecting the legitimate concerns of states, and taking into consideration the need to uphold the principles of peace, security and prosperity.
3. We underline the importance of peaceful solutions for all international conflicts, whilst continuing to promote the spirit of solidarity and partnership between nations, as emphasized by the Bandung principles, inter alia.
4. We call for support for a comprehensive and lasting settlement by the parties to the conflict through inclusive diplomacy and political means based on the UN Charter. We encourage all sides to enable the conditions for such a settlement. We note the “six-points common understandings” between China and Brazil on political settlement of the Ukraine crisis (A/78/972) and other initiatives towards this end.
5. We call on the parties to the conflict to observe principles for de-escalation and highlight the importance of non-expansion of the battlefield and non-intensification of fighting.
6. We call for increased humanitarian assistance and protections of civilians, including women and children. Civilian infrastructures, including peaceful nuclear facilities and other energy facilities should not be the targets of military operation. We support mediation efforts for the exchange of prisoners of war (POWs) between the parties to the conflict.
7. We call on refraining from the use or the threat of weapons of mass destruction, particularly nuclear weapons and chemical and biological weapons. All efforts must be made to prevent nuclear proliferation and avoid a nuclear war. All parties must comply with relevant international laws and agreements and resolutely prevent man-made nuclear accidents.
8. We call for efforts to enhance international cooperation on energy, currency, finance, trade, food security and the security of critical infrastructure, to protect the stability of global industrial and supply chains.
9. We agree to continue engagement and consultations at different levels and with all parties. We decide to direct our Permanent Representatives to the United Nations to form a group of “friends for peace” with a view to foster common understandings to support the global efforts for the achievement of a lasting peace.
