MNI BRIEF:China Urges Diplomacy On Ukraine; Blinken Calls Wang

China calls on all parties concerning the Russia-Ukraine conflict to continue dialogues and encourages all efforts to promote a diplomatic solution, Zhang Jun, Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations, said at the UN Security Council’s emergency meeting on Ukraine situation, CCTV News reported.

On the same day, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi talked to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken by phone. Wang called on all parties to exercise restraint and ease the deteriorating situation through negotiations, according to a statement on the ministry's website. “China will continue to make contact with all parties based on the merits of the matter,” said Wang, noting that the legitimate security concerns of any country should be respected.

Wang also urged the U.S. to "jointly push the bilateral relations back to the right track". The U.S. recent move to launch the so-called new version of the "Indo-Pacific Strategy", publicly listing China as the top regional rival and using Taiwan to pressure China, is sending a wrong signal of containing China, Wang said, noting that this could evolve into a full confrontation between the two countries.