MOSCOW, Mar 9 China's peace plan for Ukraine was drawn up with taking into account the forecast of Chinese military experts that the hostilities will end around the summer of 2023, the Japanese newspaper Nikkei Asia reported, citing sources close to the Chinese government.
In February, the Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a 12-point statement with a position on the political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis. Among the main points: the need to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, the resumption of direct dialogue between Moscow and Kiev, the call to prevent further escalation.
The Japanese publication notes that China has called for a ceasefire in the past, but the country «did not want to take any concrete action.» According to the newspaper, the reason for the «sudden change in China» allegedly lies in a report published two months earlier by a think tank in Beijing. We are talking about the Chinese Academy of Military Sciences (AMS), which is under the control of the People's Liberation Army of China (PRC Armed Forces).
“According to sources close to the Chinese government, in December, AMS completed a simulation of the conflict in Ukraine, which resulted in a surprising conclusion. The simulation showed that (the conflict — ed.) … will come to an end around the summer of 2023,” it says. in the publication.
At the same time, it is noted that the «advantage» at this moment will be on the side of Russia. The academy report said that both the Russian and Ukrainian economies would be «too exhausted» for any further fighting to continue. «After listening to the AMS forecast, Beijing has prepared a peace proposal,» the article notes.
Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov said earlier that the Chinese plan for resolving the situation in Ukraine in terms of ensuring security is consistent with the approach of Russia. US President Joe Biden criticized the Chinese initiative, saying that it is beneficial only to Russia, while the EU said that the Chinese initiative on Ukraine does not take into account «who is the victim and who is the aggressor.»
Russia conducts military special operation in Ukraine. The Russian leader called its task «the protection of people who for eight years have been subjected to abuse, genocide by the Kyiv regime.»