Wang Yi Speaks with French President's Diplomatic Counselor Emmanuel Bonne on the Phone

On April 7, 2022, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi had a phone conversation with French President's Diplomatic Counselor Emmanuel Bonne at the latter's request. The two sides mainly exchanged views on the Ukraine issue.

Bonne said, France has consistently adhered to an independent foreign policy and will not fall into the logic of bloc politics. France has always been committed to making and maintaining peace, and is communicating with various parties including Russia on major issues such as Ukraine's achieving neutrality and obtaining security guarantees. France attaches great importance to China's views on the current situation, and is ready to make joint efforts with China to promote peace talks, realize a ceasefire and resolve the crisis.

Wang Yi said, President Xi Jinping has held many phone conversations with President Emmanuel Macron and leaders of various countries, comprehensively expounding on China's principled position on the Ukraine issue. We also look forward to an early ceasefire and the restoration of peace, and have been making unremitting efforts to this end in our own way. At the same time, we believe that all parties should work to create the necessary environment and conditions for advancing peace talks, being "propellers" facilitating peace talks instead of "blowers" fanning flames. One should not call for reaching a ceasefire and stopping the conflict while sending large quantities of advanced weapons and equipment to further escalate the fighting. One should not claim to support dialogue and peace talks while unscrupulously imposing unilateral sanctions to further escalate the tensions.

Noting that the Ukraine issue originates from Europe's security imbalance, Wang Yi said that a balanced, effective and sustainable European security architecture should be rebuilt on the basis of the principle of indivisible security. Only by doing so can Europe truly achieve lasting peace and stability.

Wang Yi said, China supports France in upholding Europe's strategic autonomy and keeping Europe's future in the hands of the Europeans themselves. China appreciates that the French side does not subscribe to the logic of bloc politics. At the same time, we believe that the Cold War mentality should not be allowed to resurge. Mankind has entered the 21st century, with the interests of all countries being intertwined and interdependent. China is ready to strengthen strategic cooperation with France to jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind.

Both sides are deeply concerned about the negative spillover effects of the Ukraine crisis. Bonne introduced France's initiative on tackling the global food security crisis, saying that France hopes to strengthen coordination between the two sides in the Group of Twenty, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and other multilateral mechanisms. Wang Yi said, the international community should foster synergy and send a shared message to jointly deal with the global food shortage and humanitarian crises that may result from it.