People’s Daily reported on March 16 that Qin Gang, the spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, issued a statement at a press conference on the UN Security Council’s vote on Crimea. Qin indicated that China had abstained from the vote. However, China believed the UN Security Council picked the wrong time for the vote, which may further complicate the situation in that region. The vote will only strengthen the opposition among a number of different parties. Meanwhile Qin also stated that China respects all other nations’ sovereignty and territorial integrity. He called for quickly establishing an international coordination mechanism to facilitate a diplomatic resolution. Before a peaceful solution is reached, China would like to ask all parties not to further worsen the conflict.
Source: People’s Daily, March 16, 2014
http://world.people.com.cn/n/2014/0316/c1002-24647228.html