China participation in Saudi Forum on Ukraine not 'game changer': CNN

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
12 Aug 2023 13:19

According to an EU source, the EU's position with regard to Beijing has still not "solidified."

In this photo provided by Saudi Press Agency, SPA, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, is greeted by Prince Badr Bin Sultan, deputy governor of Mecca, upon his arrival at Jeddah airport, Saudi Arabia, Friday, May 19, 2023, to attend the Arab summit (Saudi Press Agency via AP)

CNN reported on Saturday, citing EU an source, that the EU is receptive to China's participation in the peace forum on Ukraine held in Saudi Arabia, Jeddah.

This, however, does not affect the EU's stance with regard to Beijing, the source said, noting that such an engagement should have been made since the start of the conflict.

The remarks come after the Chinese foreign ministry issued a statement last Monday saying that Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Eurasian Affairs Li Hui held extensive consultations with the participants of the meeting.

The statement further said that Beijing plans to continue to mobilize efforts with the aim of strengthening the dialogue with all parties involved and settling the conflict.

"A statement like Jeddah is definitely welcome, but it's not a game changer. We wanted China to do something like this since the start of the war," the official told CNN.

He further said that such actions are being assessed by the bloc while taking into consideration other relevant issues, including China's alleged threat towards Taiwan and allegations of industrial espionage.

Hence, the EU's stance with regard to Beijing has still not "solidified," they added.

The Jeddah summit, which hosted talks on the Ukrainian conflict from August 5-6, was concluded with participants agreeing to respect Ukraine's territorial integrity and that the UN's Charter should constitute the basis for any peace agreement in the context of the Ukraine conflict.

They also agreed to create working groups on the ten points of the peace formula set forth by Kiev.

According to sources cited by the report, the talks have not yet set a specific timing for the meeting of heads of state. However, that could happen by the end of 2023.

Kiev said it expects the summit to endorse its peace proposal which includes a return to the pre-2014 borders.

Prior to the meeting last week, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that any decisions on the Ukrainian conflict that might be reached during talks are "meaningless" without Russia's participation and that some countries would use the platform to build an anti-Russian coalition.

A day after the talks were concluded, Zakharova said that Moscow expects BRICS member-states that partook in the Jeddah summit over the weekend to discuss the Ukrainian conflict to provide details of their consultations.

"We expect that, in accordance with the agreements, they [BRICS countries] will share their assessments with us and reaffirm our position on the so-called peace formula of [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy, which the Kiev regime and the West are trying to promote during such meetings. None of its 10 points is aimed at finding a negotiated and diplomatic solution to the crisis," Zakharova said in a statement.

In mid-July, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi reportedly told EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell that the EU must not "vacillate" on its position with regard to Beijing and needs to "clarify" its strategic relationship, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.

This comes after Germany, Europe's biggest economy, announced on Thursday plans to de-risk its ties with China. Other EU leaders are planning to follow suit.

"The EU side should... clarify the positioning of the strategic partnership between the two sides, and promote China-EU relations to move forward," Wang told Borrell during a meeting on the sidelines of Southeast Asian talks in Jakarta, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"It should not vacillate, let alone encourage words and deeds that turn the clock back," Wang added.