China calls for political resolution on Ukraine crisis

Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday that China is maintaining its stance that a political resolution is the only way to end the Ukraine crisis.

Wang said during a meeting with his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Beijing that China hopes the upcoming talks between Russia, the United States, the European Union and Ukraine succeed and added that China would like to continue playing a constructive mediation role.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying urged the parties involved in the crisis to "fully consider and take care of" the legitimate rights and concerns of different regions and ethnic groups in the Eastern European nation.

China called for calm and restraint during the talks and the promotion of political stability and social and economic development in Ukraine, Hua said at a regular news conference on Monday.

Li Lifan, an expert on Russian studies at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, said Beijing is likely to give a clearer stance over the crisis on Tuesday when Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visits China.

Gao Fei, a professor of Russian studies at China Foreign Affairs University, said none of the key players in the Ukraine crisis is willing to afford any further deterioration in the situation.

"There may be some military moves in Ukraine, but these cannot solve the problems or trigger a civil war there," Gao said. "Kiev needs to find an efficient path for the country's development, while Moscow and the West should sit down and talk to rebuild their mutual trust that has been undermined over the past two decades."

- Zhao Shengnan