China's government has neither condemned nor condoned the attack and has even refrained from calling it an "invasion" in the first place. It has always said that it does not interfere in the internal affairs of others, a core principle of its foreign policy. But earlier this week, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi signalled that it was ready to play a role in mediating a ceasefire. State media here reported that Mr Wang "reaffirmed China's unwavering support for Ukraine's sovereignty" and assured his counterpart of China's readiness to make every effort to end the war... through diplomacy".
China's government also recently expressed "regret" about the military action, saying it was extremely concerned about the harm to civilians.
