China ready to issue joint call with France for political settlement of Ukraine crisis: Xi

BEIJING - Chinese President Xi Jinping said Thursday in Beijing that China stands ready to issue a joint call with France for political settlement of the Ukraine crisis.

Xi told the press, after the talks between him and French President Emmanuel Macron, that China is committed to facilitating peace talks and political settlement on the Ukraine crisis, and stands ready to issue a joint call with France for the international community:

To stay rational, exercise restraint, and avoid taking actions that might cause the crisis to further deteriorate or even spiral out of control;

To strictly abide by international humanitarian law, avoid attacking civilians or civilian facilities, and protect women, children and other victims of the conflict;

To earnestly honor the solemn pledge that nuclear weapons must not be used and nuclear wars must not be fought, oppose the use of biological weapons under any circumstances, and oppose armed attacks against nuclear power plants or other civilian nuclear facilities;

To resume peace talks as soon as possible, observe the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, accommodate the legitimate security concerns of all parties, seek political settlement, and foster a balanced, effective and sustainable European security architecture;

To jointly address the spillover effects of the Ukraine crisis in food, energy, finance, transportation and other fields, and reduce the negative impact of the Ukraine crisis on the world, especially on developing countries.