China takes cautious line on Saudi-led Ukraine talks but Russia still the big bear not in the room: analysts
- Chinese envoy sent to gathering in Jeddah but Beijing says little about how it went
- Meeting appears to have given China a chance to promote its ceasefire proposal
China was among the more than 40 countries represented at the two-day conference in the Saudi city of Jeddah, with Beijing leaving it until the eve of the gathering to confirm that special envoy for Eurasian affairs Li Hui would attend.
Other participants included India, Brazil and South Africa and the United States.
But Russia was not invited.
Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov dismissed the gathering as “a reflection of the West’s attempt to continue futile, doomed efforts” to swing the Global South behind Ukraine.
There was no joint statement after the Jeddah meeting, but the countries agreed that respect for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity should be the core of future Russia-Ukraine peace talks, according to reports from Saudi Arabia.
It was the first time China had sent an envoy to such talks but it too has not issued any statement or account of the meeting.
“We have many differences and have heard different positions, but the important thing is that we have common principles,” Reuters quoted Li as saying.
On the sidelines of the gathering, Li met White House national security adviser and delegation chief Jake Sullivan as well as under secretary of state for political affairs Victoria Nuland. The Wall Street Journal quoted a Washington official as saying: “It is very good to have China here.”
Zhang Xin, associate professor of international relations at East China Normal University in Shanghai, said the meeting was understood to have offered China a “fairly good” platform to present its position paper on the issue and seek consensus with a wide range of countries.
China keen to ensure Ukraine peace talks do not become ‘anti-Russian’
“A valuable achievement is that more countries, especially developing countries, have taken part this time compared to the one held in Denmark,” Zhang said, referring to a meeting held in June.
“There seems to be some consensus on the personnel and agenda of the next round of talks.”
He added that some consensus seemed to have been made on issues like nuclear security, food security and supply chain and settlement of refugees, adding that the next round could be on a bigger scale and at a higher level.
But he cautioned that it was hard to achieve any agreement in principle as long as Moscow was not at the table.
“China’s attendance is also its endorsement to the diplomatic status of Saudi Arabia,” he said. “It’s also a discussion that took place outside of the existing system of the United Nations and it’s interesting to watch how it’ll develop.”
Shi Yinhong, international relations professor at Renmin University of China, agreed, saying Moscow’s absence meant the meeting was not a milestone in the peace process.
“There is no substantial hope to make a real peace deal for both sides,” Shi said.
Shi added that Beijing was cautious in its messaging from the meeting.
“And we’re not hearing from the Chinese state media of what the envoy was doing or talking out there in detail. China’s attitude is cautious, which it should be, as the war has no end in sight yet.”
State news agency Xinhua reported briefly about the summit on Monday, saying, “all participants emphasised the importance of achieving a peaceful resolution to the Ukrainian crisis through international negotiations”.
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“There were different views, but all the participants demonstrated their countries’ commitment to the principles of the UN Charter, international law, and respect for the sovereignty and inviolability of the territorial integrity of states,” Yermak said.
Shi noted that the gathering’s biggest achievement was China’s endorsement of the UN Charter in recognising Ukraine’s sovereignty.
China put forward its own 12-point peace proposal to resolve the Ukraine crisis in February.
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It did not take part in the June talks in Denmark so its decision to send Li this time attracted much attention.
On Friday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said “China stands ready to work with the international community to continue to play a constructive role in seeking a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba described China’s participation as a “super breakthrough” on Friday, and emphasised that Saudi Arabia had played an important part in pushing China to make that decision.
“Saudi Arabia has attracted China, and this is a historic victory.”
Additional reporting by Jun Mai
