Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang has urged the West not to use the Ukraine war to put pressure on China, as the first anniversary of Russia's invasion approaches.

"We urge the countries concerned to immediately stop pouring oil on the fire, stop throwing blame at China and stop advocating 'Ukraine today, Taiwan tomorrow'," Qin told diplomats and academics at a forum in Beijing on Tuesday.

He said China was "deeply concerned" that the conflict in Ukraine could spiral out of control and that Beijing would continue to promote peace talks.

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said China was "considering providing lethal support" for Russia's war in Ukraine. Photo: AFP alt=US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said China was "considering providing lethal support" for Russia's war in Ukraine. Photo: AFP>

It came after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told NBC News on Sunday that China was "considering providing lethal support" for Russia's war in Ukraine - a claim that has sparked concern, particularly in Europe, where there is growing wariness over Beijing's ties with Moscow.

China's top diplomat, Wang Yi, is expected to arrive in Moscow on Tuesday, his last stop on a nine-day European tour. The visit could include a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

On Monday, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said he had told Wang in Munich over the weekend that China would be crossing a "red line" for Europe if it supplied arms to Moscow.

Beijing has denied the accusation and said it was the US, not China, that had been supplying weapons to the battlefield in Ukraine.

US President Joe Biden made a surprise visit to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Monday, where he met President Volodymyr Zelensky in a show of support.

Biden pledged a new military aid package for Ukraine worth US$500 million. "And I will share that later this week, we will announce additional sanctions against elites and companies that are trying to evade or backfill Russia's war machine," he said, according to a White House statement.

At Tuesday's forum, Qin also launched a concept paper on Beijing's Global Security Initiative - a plan first announced by President Xi Jinping about 10 months ago that is seen as part of Beijing's efforts to increase its influence in global governance and security.

In the paper, Beijing reiterates its call for countries to strengthen strategic dialogue to improve mutual trust and manage differences.

"China supports a political solution to hotspot issues such as the Ukraine crisis through dialogue and negotiation," the paper says.

It points to dialogue as the "efficient way" to resolve disputes and says world powers should take responsibility "to persuade and facilitate peace talks and mediation in accordance with the needs and wishes of the country concerned".

"The abuse of unilateral sanctions and 'long-arm jurisdiction' will not solve the problem, but will create more difficulties and complications," the paper says.

It states that all countries are equal under the Global Security Initiative, so there should be no interference in their domestic politics, and sovereignty and dignity must be respected.

The paper also calls for "legitimate and reasonable security concerns" of any state to be considered - a veiled reference to Putin using Nato's eastward expansion to justify a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

"The legitimate and reasonable security concerns of any country should be seriously and properly addressed, and should not be ignored and systematically violated for a long time," it says.

"Any country should take into account the legitimate security concerns of other countries in pursuing its own security."

Beijing said last week it would soon release a position paper on the Ukraine war, without giving further details.

The security initiative document comes amid worsening ties between China and the United States after the US shot down an alleged Chinese spy balloon early this month.

In the paper, Beijing calls on countries to "resolutely uphold the consensus that 'nuclear war cannot be won or fought'".

It also says nations should strengthen communications and practical cooperation to resolve maritime disputes and work together to fight against pirates to protect shipping lanes.

And it urges countries to cooperate on biosecurity risk management, and to push forward a complete prohibition on mass destruction weapons and boost non-proliferation export controls, biosecurity and chemical weapons protection.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2023 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2023. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.