“Does not meet expectations”: China will not participate in Peace Summit

Representatives of China will not participate in the Peace Summit in Switzerland on June 15 and 16, because Russia does not approve of it. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said this at a briefing on May 31, as reported on the Chinese Foreign Ministry website.

“The arrangements for the meeting still fall far short of China’s requests and the general expectations of the international community, which complicates China’s participation,” the diplomat said.

China’s motivation

She emphasized that Beijing insists on Russia’s participation in the event.

“China always maintains that the international peace conference needs to meet the three important elements of recognition from both Russia and Ukraine, equal participation of all parties, and fair discussion of all peace plans. Otherwise, the peace conference can hardly play a substantive role in restoring peace. These elements proposed by China are fair, legitimate, and do not target any party,” Mao Ning said.

She also assured that China is cooperating with Switzerland.

“China attaches great importance to Switzerland organizing the first Summit on Peace in Ukraine and has been in close communication with Switzerland and relevant parties on this since early this year. China always maintains that the international peace conference needs to meet the three important elements of recognition from both Russia and Ukraine, equal participation of all parties, and fair discussion of all peace plans. ,” the diplomat summarized.

Russia’s reaction

Commenting on China’s refusal to participate in the Peace Summit, the Russian dictator’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said, “We support this approach.”

“Looking for ways out of the Ukrainian conflict without Russia’s participation is absolutely illogical, futile, and a waste of time. China has been saying this since the very beginning, and in this regard, our positions are absolutely identical to those of the People’s Republic of China,” Interfax quoted him as saying.

Switzerland has invited more than 160 delegations from around the world to join the Peace Summit, which will take place on June 15–16, 2024, in the resort of Burgenstock.

China has close ties with Russia and refrains from criticizing its invasion of Ukraine. Western governments have repeatedly accused the Chinese government of providing Russia with assistance for the Kremlin’s war efforts. Several official statements and media investigations claimed that Chinese companies helped Russia circumvent Western sanctions by purchasing parts for military production.

At the same time, Beijing has offered its assistance in a peaceful settlement.

Peace Summit in Switzerland

On February 26, Switzerland announced its intention to hold a summit on peace in Ukraine by the summer.

Switzerland hosts this year the Peace Summit, which intends to find a solution for the Russia-Ukraine war, which started with a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The Kremlin said that organizing such an event without Russia was “not serious and even ridiculous.”

On March 18, Chinese Ambassador to Switzerland Wang Shihting said that China is considering participating in the peace summit organized by Switzerland at Ukraine’s request.

In May, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky called on the leaders of countries, including China and the United States, to take part in the event.

On May 2, the Swiss Foreign Ministry said that Russia should take part in the Peace Summit, as “a peace process without Russia is unthinkable.” Russia, the aggressor in this war, was not invited to the event this year.

Switzerland stated that the Russian Federation should participate in the Peace Summit, as “a peace process without Russia is unthinkable,” but not this year.

Summit’s goals and Ukraine’s Peace Formula

According to the Swiss statement, the overarching objective of the summit is to inspire a future peace process. To achieve this, the summit intends to:

• Provide a platform for dialogue on ways towards a comprehensive, just and lasting peace for Ukraine based on international law and the UN Charter;
• Promote a common understanding of a possible framework to reach this goal;
• Jointly define a roadmap on how to involve both parties in a future peace process.

“Peace Formula” was presented in November at the G20 summit in Bali by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He introduced a 10-point document to restore peace in Ukraine. The European Union Foreign Affairs Council endorsed Ukraine’s Formula for Peace and said it would promote it globally.