Scholz, Xi meet in Beijing, discuss peace in Ukraine

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on April 16, and said before the meeting that he planned to discuss "how we can contribute more to a just peace in Ukraine."

Russia's invasion of Ukraine was one of "many topics to discuss," Scholz said on X before the meeting, which came on the last day of his three-day visit to China.

Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua said Xi and Scholz had an "in-depth exchange of views," and Xi proposed four principles to resolve the war.

These principles included refraining "from selfish gains," working to "cool down the situation and not add fuel to the fire," creating "conditions for the restoration of peace," and reducing "the negative impact on the world economy."

According to Deutsche Welle, Scholz's team described the talks as "good" but did not provide further details.

Xi has not condemned Russia's actions in Ukraine and has repeatedly abstained from voting on UN resolutions on the war, but Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi claimed in March that China is a "force for peace."

Beijing has also maintained close ties with Moscow since February 2022. Ukraine and Europe have diplomatic channels with China open and repeatedly urged Beijing to use its influence over Moscow to help end the war.

Washington expressed concern to its allies about China's support for Russia on April 9, which led the Chinese Foreign Ministry to declare that Beijing and Moscow have the right to continue "normal cooperation."

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