China's envoy urges safety of Ukraine nuclear facilities

China's ambassador to the United Nations on Friday urged relevant parties to act with caution and work together to ensure the safety of nuclear facilities inside Ukraine.

"China pays close attention to the latest developments in Ukraine, and expresses our concerns over the relevant reports about the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant," Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the UN, told a Security Council briefing on the safety of nuclear facilities in Ukraine.

According to the information the International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA) got from the Ukrainian nuclear authority, the main equipment of the nuclear power plant remains intact, and the level of radiation unchanged, said Zhang.

"We also noticed the information and clarification provided by Russia on the relevant matters," said Zhang. "China attaches great importance to nuclear safety and security, and hopes that the parties concerned will act with great caution, and with specialized technical assistance from the IAEA Secretariat, work together to ensure the safety of relevant nuclear facilities inside Ukraine," he said.

The Ukrainian crisis is still undergoing complex changes, said the envoy. "The most important thing right now is to ease tension, avoid more civilian casualties, intensify diplomatic efforts, and get back as soon as possible to the track of political settlement," he said.

Zhang pointed out that Russia and Ukraine have held two rounds of direct dialogue and negotiations, and have reached preliminary agreement on setting up a humanitarian corridor. "China welcomes this, and hopes that it can facilitate better protection of civilians and help with the safe evacuation of all foreign nationals, including Chinese nationals," he said.

"We encourage Russia and Ukraine to remain committed to the overall direction of political settlement, and reach a negotiated solution that accommodates the legitimate concerns of the two parties and contributes to Europe's lasting peace and security," said Zhang.

China welcomes all diplomatic efforts conducive to political settlement, he said. "We have played and will continue to play a constructive role to this end. The international community should stay cool-headed and rational, and adopt a responsible, impartial and objective attitude to create a sound atmosphere and conditions for direct negotiations between the parties concerning."

Any action must contribute to de-escalation and diplomatic settlement, rather than adding fuel to the fire, leading to further escalation and deterioration of the situation, Zhang emphasized.

Ukrainian authorities on Friday said the Russian military has captured Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest one in Europe, in southern Ukraine. The plant was seized following a shelling which caused a fire at the plant, the State Inspectorate for Nuclear Regulation of Ukraine said in a statement on Facebook.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov confirmed on Friday that Russia's armed forces have taken control of the nuclear power plant.

The IAEA said Friday that it was informed by Ukrainian regulatory authorities that there has been no leak of radiation at the plant.

The plant's six reactors were not affected by the blaze, which has been extinguished, IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi told a news conference.

In normal times, the Zaporizhzhia plant provides more than half of Ukraine's nuclear power and contributes nearly 25 percent to Ukraine's overall power generation.