China, Brazil hold Ukraine peace plan meeting at UN, aim to be ‘partners’ to Moscow, Kyiv

Beijing’s top diplomat voices hope for convening global peace conference with ‘fair discussion’ of all proposals as US stays sceptical

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Wang Yi (right), China’s top diplomat, confers with senior Brazilian official Celso Amorim at a meeting in New York on Friday. Photo: AP

Mark Magnierin New YorkandIgor Patrickin Washington

Published: 3:55am, 28 Sep 2024Updated: 8:20am, 28 Sep 2024

China and Brazil on Friday sought to advance their long-standing bid to mediate peace between Russia and Ukraine on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, a diplomatic effort marked by broad objectives yet few specifics.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi voiced hope that the international community would convene a peace conference with a “fair discussion” of all proposals, without offering a date or location.

Wang added that “we oppose using the crisis as an excuse” to pile on sanctions, in an apparent reference to the US.

“We want to be partners to Russia and Ukraine as they work towards peace,” he said after the meeting. “We must avoid a resurgence of a Cold-War mentality.”

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi attends a meeting at the United Nations in New York on Thursday. Photo: Xinhua

China and Brazil were joined in their discussion on Friday by Algeria, Bolivia, Colombia, Egypt, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Mexico, South Africa, Turkey and Zambia.

Neither the US nor the European Union took part. France, Hungary and Switzerland sent observers.