Wang Yi Speaks with Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares Bueno on the Phone

On March 14, 2022, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi had a phone conversation with Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares Bueno at the latter's request. Albares extended congratulations on the successful Olympic Winter Game Beijing 2022. The two sides mainly exchanged views on the current situation in Ukraine.

Albares said, the situation in Ukraine threatens peace and stability in Europe and if left unchecked, will affect the entire international community. Spain hopes that the war will be stopped through dialogue and diplomatic means as soon as possible. China is a great peace-loving country and a permanent member of the UN Security Council. Spain hopes that China will play a positive role in promoting peace.

Wang Yi said, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China has been promoting peace talks in its own way since the very beginning of the Ukraine crisis. We hope that the fourth round of Russia-Ukraine peace talks can achieve new progress acceptable to all parties, accumulate favorable factors for ending the conflict, and open the door to peace. Some forces have been continuously smearing China's objective and just position on the Ukraine issue and fabricating various false information. China has always made its judgment based on the merits of the matter itself, respected the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, upheld the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and held that legitimate security concerns of all parties should be addressed. China has the best record among the world's major countries when it comes to the issue of peace and security. China will continue to play a constructive role in the peaceful settlement of the Ukraine crisis on multilateral occasions.

Wang Yi said, the Ukraine crisis is the upshot of security tensions accumulated and intensified in Europe over the years. While encouraging Russia and Ukraine to reach a ceasefire and stop the war through peace talks, China also hopes that Europe and Russia can engage in equal-footed dialogue and negotiations to find reasonable solutions to each other's security concerns and establish a balanced, effective and sustainable European security architecture. China always opposes the use of sanctions to solve problems, let alone unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law, as such moves will undermine international rules and harm the people's wellbeing in all countries. China is not a party directly involved in the crisis, and it doesn't want to be affected by sanctions even more. China has the right to safeguard its legitimate and lawful rights and interests. Spain is a power of stability in Europe and we believe it can play a positive role in peacefully resolving the crisis.