State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang poses for photos with foreign ministers from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan before the 4th China-Central Asia Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, China, April 27, 2023. (Photo by Feng Yongbin/chinadaily.com.cn)
China is willing to work with all parties including Central Asian countries to continue to build consensus and push for the international community to find the largest possible common ground for solving the Ukraine crisis, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang said on Thursday.
Qin made the remarks as he elaborated China's position on the crisis in exchanges of views on global and regional hotspot issues with his counterparts from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. The foreign ministers are in China for the fourth China-Central Asia foreign ministers' meeting.
Qin said the Ukraine crisis is the result of both historical and realistic reasons. But no matter how complicated it is, political settlement is the only viable way out of the crisis, he said.
He mentioned President Xi Jinping's telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday, saying that the leaders' direct communication is an important step taken by China as part of its efforts to push for political settlement of the Ukraine crisis.
This once again showed China's consistent position of promoting peace talks, Qin said.
Noting that China and Central Asian countries share the similar view and position on the Ukraine crisis, Qin said China is ready to continue to work with all parties to find "the greatest common divisor" for solving the Ukraine crisis.