In another attack at the Quad, China has now drawn a comparison between the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis and the geo-politics of Indo-Pacific. China’s Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng, speaking at the Fourth International Forum on Security and Strategy, commented the Ukraine crisis provides a mirror for China to observe the situation in the Asia-Pacific.
Questioning how a crisis like this can be prevented from happening in the Asia-Pacific, Yucheng said that the Asia-Pacific is an anchor for world peace and stability, an engine for global growth and a new pace-setter in international cooperation. He emphasised that such a promising situation has not come easily and should be cherished by all sides.”
Claiming that Asia-Pacific now faces two opposite choices, Yucheng asked, “Should we build an open and inclusive family for win-win cooperation or go for small blocs based on the Cold War mentality and group confrontation?” He further claimed that ever since the crisis has started, China has been actively working to promote dialogue for peace, voicing its support for peace and doing its best for talks.
Stating the the root cause of the conflict lies in cold war mentality and power politics, China said that the European continent is a key region for world peace. It was marred by two World Wars and was not tranquil after the Cold War. Now flames of war has been reignited. Calling the situation deeply distressing, Yucheng stated that this should prompt us to profoundly reflect.
He went ahead to proclaim that one should not seek its own absolute security; bloc politics and group confrontation should be rejected. In an indirect reference to the sanctions imposed on Russia, the Chinese minister said that history has shown time and again that instead of solving problems, imposing sanctions is like putting out fire with firewood and will only make things worse. He emphasised that the abuse of sanctions will bring catastrophic consequences for the entire world.
