Hong Kong (CNN) – On Monday, China’s ambassador to the United Nations called on “all parties” to avoid “fuel-induced tensions” in Ukraine, but did not condemn the Kremlin’s recognition of independence for the two pro-Moscow regions in the country. .

As the crisis in Ukraine intensifies, Beijing is taking a more complicated position, seeking to deepen ties with Moscow and firmly defend its foreign policy pragmatic state sovereignty.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping meet in Beijing on February 4, 2022.

Monday night at the UN. In a brief statement at an emergency meeting of the Security Council, Chinese Ambassador to the UN Zhang Jun said Beijing welcomed and encouraged all efforts for a diplomatic solution. “.

“The current situation in Ukraine is the result of a number of complex factors. China will always take its own position on the merits of this matter. We hope that all countries will resolve international conflicts in a peaceful manner. The UN Charter,” Zhang said.

The Security Council meeting is being held as world leaders are making a concerted effort to destabilize the situation in Ukraine, following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recognition of Russian forces and the ordering of Russian forces in two divisions backed by Moscow. Will provide an excuse for a wider invasion of Ukraine.

Russia has said it will not invade Ukraine for weeks, and at a Security Council meeting it declared its efforts to “protect and defend” the peoples of the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic (DPR and LPR). ).

Amid growing protests, Russia sought to reach out to China, and Putin traveled to Beijing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of the February 4 Winter Olympics. The summit concluded with a public statement declaring that there were “no limits” to the relationship between the two countries and “no restricted areas of cooperation”.

The show of solidarity is not unnoticed in the West. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen referred to the recent joint statement by Xi and Putin at the Munich Security Conference on Friday in compelling comments.

China has maintained that its interests are in negotiation and peaceful resolution, but experts say it will be wary of being held accountable by the Beijing federation and will now seek to walk on a tightrope.

“They do not want to get involved and they do not want to issue a very strong statement. Lee Kuan Yew is Professor of Public Policy School at New York National University, Singapore.

He said Beijing wanted to avoid Western sanctions against Moscow’s actions and “must be careful not to give the impression that they openly support Russia.”

China has previously urged parties involved in the Ukraine crisis to return to the Minsk agreements, citing agreements to maintain control of Qaeda on its border with Russia following the 2014 and 2015 clashes in eastern Ukraine.

Addressing the same conference in Munich on Saturday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that “the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all nations must be respected and protected.”

According to David Sox, a researcher at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, this puts China in a “worse position” with recent developments.

“Until the last moment, China stressed the need to return to the Minsk agreement. Putin publicly broke it and ignored China’s proposal to deal with the crisis,” he said.

“There could be a serious debate in Beijing about the long-term costs of joining Russia,” Sox said in a speech outside of public view.

“If China accepts Russia, it will want to avoid further push from the United States and Europe.”

Although not military allies, China and Russia are increasingly projecting a united front in the face of what they see as Western intervention in their internal affairs, rejecting US-led sanctions and voting mostly in unison at the UN.

This was underlined in the February 4 joint statement, which did not mention Ukraine, but saw China approve of Russia’s key Western demand, with both sides “opposed to further expansion of NATO”.

Yu Bin, a professor of political science at the University of Wittenberg in Ohio and a senior member of the Center for Russian Studies at the East China Ordinary University in Shanghai, said China shares NATO’s growing concerns over its role in the Indo – Pacific region.

“Thus, as a result of the (coalition’s) increasingly active stance, Russian and Chinese sentiments about the US-led alliance are uniting in both Europe and Asia,” he said.

In the United States on Monday night, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken spoke with his Chinese counterpart Wang about North Korea’s progress and Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, according to a brief Foreign Ministry statement.

“The Secretary-General stressed the need to safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine,” the summary said.

According to a summary of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Wang expressed “concern” over the situation in Ukraine. “China is worried [la] Wang said during the call that “progress in Ukraine” and “the legitimate security concerns of any country must be respected”.

“The objectives and policies of the UN Charter must be upheld,” Wang said, adding that the current situation in Ukraine was “closely related to the delay in the implementation of the Minsk agreement.”

At Monday’s Security Council meeting, US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield called on all UN officials. He said member states were also selfish.

“It’s time for joint action,” he said. “Someone is more at risk of sitting on the fence.”