Mr. President,

China is deeply concerned about the latest developments of the situation in Ukraine. Currently, it has come to the point which we do not want to see. China always forms its own position according to the merits of the matter at hand. We believe that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states should be respected, and that the purposes and principles of the UN Charter should be jointly upheld. We have always called on all parties to seek reasonable solutions to address each other’s concerns through peaceful means on the basis of equality and mutual respect. We welcome and encourage all efforts for a diplomatic solution, and support the Russian Federation and Ukraine in resolving the issue through negotiations.

In the past week, the Security Council has held two emergency meetings, and parties have fully elaborated on their positions and concerns on the current situation. At present, faced with the very complex and sensitive situation, the Security Council should make a necessary response. At the same time, such a response should also be extremely cautious. Any action should be truly conducive to defusing the crisis, rather than adding fuel to fire. If not properly handled, or blindly exerting pressure and imposing sanctions, it may only lead to more casualties, more property loss, more complicated and chaotic situations, and more difficulties in bridging differences. It may completely shut the door to a peaceful solution, and eventually it is the vast number of innocent people that will be the victims. We must draw profound lessons from the extremely painful experience in the past. For this reason, China abstained in the voting just now.

I would like to stress that the issue of Ukraine is not something that only emerged today; nor did the current situation occur suddenly overnight. It is a result of the interplay of various factors over a long period of time. China advocates the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security. We believe that one country's security cannot be at the expense of the security of others, and that regional security should not rely on muscling up or even expanding military blocs. The legitimate security concerns of all countries should be respected. Against the backdrop of five successive rounds of NATO’s eastward expansion, Russia’s legitimate security aspirations should be given attention to and properly addressed. Ukraine should become a bridge between the East and the West, not an outpost for confrontation between major powers. We strongly call on all parties concerned to exercise maximum restraint, ease tensions, and avoid civilian casualties. The final settlement of the Ukraine crisis still requires abandoning the Cold War mentality, giving full attention and respect to the legitimate security concerns of all countries, and conducting negotiations to build a balanced, effective and sustainable European security mechanism. We call on all parties to immediately come back to the track of diplomatic negotiations and political settlement, show sincerity and goodwill, make a political decision and engage in dialogue and consultation for a comprehensive settlement of the Ukraine issue.

Thank you, Mr. President.