Wang Yi Speaks with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on the Phone

On February 26, 2022, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi had a phone conversation with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock at the latter's request.

The two sides exchanged views with a focus on the current situation in Ukraine.

Wang Yi said, China pays close attention to the evolving situation in Ukraine and supports all efforts conducive to easing the situation and political settlement. With regards to European security issues, all countries' legitimate concerns should be taken seriously. In the context of NATO's five consecutive rounds of eastward expansion, Russia's legitimate security demands ought to be properly addressed.

Wang Yi said, the Cold War has long gone, and it's necessary for NATO to reconsider its positioning and responsibilities. China believes that the Cold War mentality based on bloc confrontation should be completely discarded. China supports NATO, the EU and Russia in resuming dialogue aimed at building a balanced, effective and sustained European security mechanism, so as to achieve lasting peace and stability on the European continent.

Wang Yi said, China disapproves of the use of sanctions to solve problems, still less unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law. It has long been proved that sanctions, far from being a solution, will only create new problems. Sanctions will not only cause a lose-lose or all-lose situation in economy, but also disrupt or impact on the political settlement process.

Wang Yi said, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China has always fulfilled its responsibility to maintain international peace and security. We believe that should the Security Council take action, it should contribute to a political settlement of the current crisis rather than instigate new antagonism and confrontation. In view of this, when the Security Council discussed the resolution related to the Ukraine issue, China prevented quoting expressions that contain the authorization of the use of force and sanctions. China will continue to play a constructive role in seeking and realizing peace.