No other country has “more influence on Russia,” according to the German foreign minister, who has encouraged Beijing to put pressure on Moscow to end the conflict in Ukraine.
Annalena Baerbock said in a statement on Friday that she discussed human rights concerns and the increasing Taiwan tensions with her Chinese colleague Qin Gang.
Her visit follows that of French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who both urged China to take a bigger role in resolving the Ukrainian conflict.
Baerbock said “It is good that China has signalled its commitment to a solution but I have to say frankly that I wonder why the Chinese position so far does not include a call on the aggressor Russia to stop the war.”
China, according to Qin, believes that “the only way to resolve the Ukraine crisis is to promote peace and talks.”
“The Ukrainian crisis has developed up to this day, and the lessons are profound, worthy of deep reflection by all parties. Territory is indivisible, and security is also indivisible,” he said.
“Without recognition of the security interests of a particular party, crises and conflicts are inevitable,” he added.
‘Human rights’ issues in China
Baerbock said that she also informed her counterpart of Germany’s worries that China’s “scope for civil society engagement” was decreasing and that human rights were being “curtailed” in China.
China jailed two well-known human rights attorneys for more than ten years on Monday.
After trials behind closed doors, Xu Zhiyong and fellow activist Ding Jiaxi were found guilty of “subversion of state power.”
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