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China has no plans to order embassy staff in Ukraine to evacuate
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said its embassy in Kiev has been operating "as normal" while urging the United States and its allies not to "hype the crisis."
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Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin takes a question at the Foreign Ministry briefing in Beijing on November 9, 2020. (AFP/Greg Baker)
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hina indicated Monday that it has no plans to order its embassy staff and citizens in Ukraine to evacuate, despite growing tensions over a possible Russian invasion following Moscow's military buildup near the border.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said its embassy in Kiev has been operating "as normal" while urging the United States and its allies not to "hype the crisis."
The administration of US President Joe Biden has pledged to impose severe economic sanctions in coordination with its allies if Russia goes ahead with military action. Washington has already ordered its citizens to evacuate from Ukraine.
China has supported Russia's position on a key issue surrounding Ukraine. In a joint statement released after their summit earlier this month, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin opposed further expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
The Chinese government will "provide consular protection and assistance in a timely manner" to its citizens and institutions in Ukraine in a bid to safeguard their security and legitimate rights, Wang told reporters in Beijing.
Issues related to Ukraine should be resolved "through dialogue," Wang said, adding, "We call on all nations to remain rational and refrain from doing things that would exacerbate tensions."
The United States said later on Monday it is moving its embassy operations in Kyiv to a western city in Ukraine amid fears of a possibly imminent Russian invasion of the country.
"We are in the process of temporarily relocating our embassy operations in Ukraine from our embassy in Kyiv to Lviv due to the dramatic acceleration in the buildup of Russian forces," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
The "prudent precautions" will not undermine US commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and Washington will continue its "intensive diplomatic efforts" to de-escalate the crisis, he said.
The latest development came as US President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin failed to make a breakthrough in their talks on Saturday over the Ukraine standoff.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan warned on Friday that a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine could begin "any day now," including during the Beijing Winter Olympics taking place through Sunday.
Russia, which annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, has amassed more than 100,000 troops on their border, blaming the former Soviet Union republic and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization for heightening tensions.
