Beijing says EU-China relations should not be tied to 'Ukraine crisis'

China's Ambassador to the European Union, Fu Cong, has said that the EU should build relations and develop cooperation with China regardless of Beijing's position on the "Ukraine crisis."

The diplomat said this in an interview with the Chinese news outlet The Paper, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

According to the ambassador, the "Ukrainian crisis" causes great concern for European countries and is the background against which Europeans consider all other issues.

"Many people in Europe do view China-EU relations through the prism of the Ukraine issue," Fu said.

He said that since he took office at the end of last year, he has repeatedly emphasized to the European side that just like any bilateral relationship between China and any country, China-EU relations are "multi-faceted rather than a single issue" and they are not aimed at third parties and should not depend on them or be subordinate to them.

"The EU should not look at China-EU relations through the prism of the Ukraine crisis," the Chinese envoy said.

He repeated the well-known theses of the Chinese side that "China is neither the maker nor the party involved in the Ukrainian crisis," Beijing's position on the Ukrainian issue, outlined in a 12-point "peace plan," is consistent and clear, and also called accusations against China regarding the insincerity of the desire to end the war as baseless.

"China is also a victim of this crisis. It is completely untenable to accuse China of the Ukrainian crisis. [...] Of course, we have a clear understanding of the complexity and arduousness of the 'Ukraine crisis.' [...] China will continue to play a constructive role in ceasefire, cessation of war, mitigation of crisis, and restoration of peace," Fu added.

The Chinese diplomat paid special attention to China's relations with Russia, noting "certain misunderstandings and prejudices" regarding them in the European Union.

"The European side should also correctly understand the reference to 'no upper limit.' China has always insisted on developing friendly and cooperative relations with other countries on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. We also always believe that friendship and cooperation among countries are endless and should not be artificially limited. Sino-Russian cooperation is 'unlimited,' and the same is true for China and Europe," Fu said.