China must fulfil its responsibility as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the European Union’s ambassador to Beijing said on Friday.
Speaking at an event in Beijing, EU ambassador Jorge Toledo Albinana said the permanent members of the security council “have a special responsibility to defend the [UN] charter in the face of this kind of aggression,” adding, “this is why we continue to call on our host China to fulfil its special responsibility.”
The Security Council, which has 15 members, has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. Alongside the five permanent members of the United States, Russia, France, China and the United Kingdom, 10 temporary members are elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms.
The UN was created to avoid “the exact kind of brutality in Ukraine,” the Spanish diplomat said.
China’s position: In a news briefing Friday, Albinana said a 12-point document released by Beijing earlier in the day detailing its its position on the war in Ukraine is “not a peace proposal,” and its content was something “which we knew already.”
“From what I have seen, there is no mention of an aggressor, which is strange, because it’s clear there is an aggressor, an aggression [that is] illegal and unprovoked, so that is a bit concerning,” Albinana said.
In the document, China reiterated its calls for a political settlement to the conflict and called for a resumption of peace talks, an end to unilateral sanctions, and stressed its opposition to the use of nuclear weapons
The EU will study the position paper closely, Albinana said.
