Paet: China Must Use Its Influence to Help End Russian Aggression
Urmas Paet, vice-chair of the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee, urged China to help end the war in Ukraine and to free political prisoners, including Ilham Tohti.
Speaking at a plenary session of the European Parliament, Urmas Paet, vice-chair of its foreign affairs committee and a member of Estonia's Reform Party, called on China to use its influence to help stop Russia's war against Ukraine. He also demanded an end to deliveries of war-related goods to Russia and the release of political prisoners.
Paet stressed that China bears special responsibility and has the capacity to help end the conflict. In his words, it is a permanent member of the UN Security Council and one of Russia's most important economic and political partners.
A concrete step: no goods for the war
The politician said China should not sell or supply Russia with goods, components and technologies that can be used in the war against Ukraine. If Beijing wants to contribute to peace, he argued, it must ensure that its trade does not help Russia continue fighting.
Human rights and Ilham Tohti
Paet also urged China to respect human rights and release people jailed for defending them. He named Ilham Tohti, who received the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought in 2019. Tohti is serving a life sentence, and his family has not been allowed to visit him since 2017, the MEP added.
