China on Thursday refused to call Moscow’s military aggression an “invasion” as Russia launched an assault on Ukraine early in the morning.
“China is closely monitoring the latest situation. We call on all sides to exercise restraint to prevent the situation from getting out of control,” Hua Chunying, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, said, Reuters reported.
“This is perhaps a difference between China and you Westerners. We won’t go rushing to a conclusion,” she said.
“Regarding the definition of an invasion, I think we should go back to how to view the current situation in Ukraine. The Ukrainian issue has other very complicated historical background that has continued to today. It may not be what everyone wants to see,” she added.
China encouraged all sides to exercise restraint and added that its citizens should stay home and display a Chinese flag if they needed to drive anywhere, Reuters reported.
The ministry also noted that Wang Yi, a senior diplomat and China’s foreign minister, met with Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s minister of foreign affairs. Wang said Russia had “legitimate concerns” on security.
China has been expected to offer diplomatic support of Russia as well as possibly offer economic support to Moscow.
Hua confirmed that China, however, did not offer any military support, Reuters noted.
In response to Russia’s attack, the U.S. and its allies imposed sanctions against Moscow, and more severe sanctions are expected to be announced on Thursday, a move that China has condemned.
“Some countries have been following the U.S. in fanning the flame,” Hua said. “We object to any action that hypes up war.”
“At the current stage, we should consider whether we’ve done enough in mediation,” Hua said in reference to Europe.
Earlier this week, China warned its citizens in Ukraine to stock up on essentials but did not go so far as to urge them to leave the country, the news service added.