Chinese president Xi Jinping on Thursday warned against any escalation of the crisis triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and repeated a call for peace talks, but did not publicly commit to playing a more active role in influencing Moscow.
He spoke after a first round of meetings in Beijing with French president Emmanuel Macron, who had earlier urged him to “bring Russia to its senses” and “back to the negotiating table” at the beginning of a three-day state visit.
“We call for restarting peace talks as soon as possible?.?.?.?taking into account the legitimate security needs of different parties?.?.?. while building a balanced, effective and sustainable European security architecture,” said Xi, who did not mention Russia by name.