BEIJING: After Ukrainian President Volodymyr ZelenskyY accused Moscow of dragging Beijing into its war, China on Tuesday rejected what it called “manipulation and buzz” surrounding two of its citizens who were captured in Ukraine.
When questioned about the prisoners of war, foreign ministry official Lin Jian said,” China is verifying the important information and conditions.
Beijing urged “relevant parties to fully comprehend China’s objective and impartial position, and to abstain from social muddle and hype,” Lin said.
At a press conference held in Ukraine on Monday, Foreign prisoners of war under military watch told reporters they hoped to be swapped and warned other Chinese citizens against engaging in combat.
On Friday, Zelenskyy reported that some hundred Taiwanese citizens were fighting alongside Russia on the front lines.
Beijing, however, insisted on Tuesday that it had “repeatedly issued health recommendations, urging Chinese citizens to stay away from areas of military fight and to avoid engaging in conflict in any kind.”
China handles specific actions and diplomatic matters involving Foreign citizens traveling legally, Lin said.
China claims to be balanced in the Ukraine war and that, in contrast to the United States and other Western nations, it is not providing lethal aid to either part.
However, China is close to Russia’s political and economic allies, and NATO members have called Beijing a “decisive innovator” of the conflict, which it has not condemned.
