Civilian deaths in Bucha: China says circumstances should be verified

Published: April 07,2022

China is firmly committed to de-escalating and ending the conflict in Ukraine as soon as possible, a Chinese envoy said on Tuesday.

“De-escalation and putting an early end to the conflict in Ukraine is the earnest expectation of the international community and the strong desire of China,” Zhang Jun, China’s permanent representative to the United Nations, told the UN Security Council’s briefing on Ukraine.

Zhang said that the Russian Federation and Ukraine have had rounds of negotiations. China welcomes the two sides to stick to the general direction of peace negotiations, overcome difficulties and differences, and continue to build conditions for a comprehensive settlement of the crisis, he stressed. 

“The international community should create favorable conditions and environment for negotiations between the two sides, open up space for political settlement, and should not set up obstacles for peace, let alone add fuel to the fire in aggravation of confrontations,” Zhang said.

Speaking of the humanitarian issue, Zhang said that China attaches great importance to this issue in Ukraine and supports all initiatives and measures conducive to alleviating the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.

Evacuees are seen after humanitarian caravan of 42 buses from Berdysank and 5 from Melitopol arrived in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, April 1, 2022. /CFP

“We call on the parties to abide by international humanitarian law, protect the safety of civilians and civilian facilities, minimize civilian casualties, ensure safe and smooth humanitarian corridors for evacuees and humanitarian assistance, and guarantee the basic rights of women, children, and wounded and detained fighters,” he said.

Images of dead civilians from Bucha ‘very disturbing’

Zhang Jun stressed that civilians should be spared of any forms of violence in armed conflicts.

“Attacks against civilians are unacceptable and should not occur,” he said, noting that “the reports and images of civilian deaths in Bucha are deeply disturbing.”

“The relevant circumstances and specific causes of the incident should be verified and established. Any accusations should be based on facts. Before the full picture is clear, all sides should exercise restraint and avoid unfounded accusations,” he stressed.

Referring to sanctions imposed, the ambassador said that “sanctions are not an effective means to solve the problem, but will instead accelerate the spillover of the crisis, and bring new and complex problems.”

“The implementation of all-dimensional and indiscriminate sanctions is tantamount to politicizing, instrumentalizing and weaponizing the world economy, triggering a serious crisis in the fields of global economy and trade, finance, energy, food, industrial chain, and supply chain,” he said.

cgtn.com