China has told the United States it wants to see all sides involved in Ukraine remain calm and avoid increasing tension, when Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke about Ukraine on a telephone call late on Wednesday.
"We call on all parties to stay calm and refrain from doing things that agitate tensions and hype up the crisis," Wang told Blinken, China's foreign ministry said in a statement.
"Secretary Blinken ... conveyed that de-escalation and diplomacy are the responsible way forward," Blinken was quoted as saying to Wang in a statement issued by the U.S. state department.
Wang told Blinken that one country's security could not be at the expense of the security of others and regional security could not be guaranteed by strengthening or even expanding military blocs, his ministry said.
"To resolve the Ukrainian issue, we still need to return to the new Minsk Agreement - the starting point," said Wang. "The new Minsk agreement, which was approved by the Security Council, is a fundamental political document recognised by all parties and should be effectively implemented. As long as efforts are made in line with the direction and spirit of the agreement, China will support them."
