Zelenskiy, Wang Yi, Borell and Scholz among the speakers in Munich
Major security conference features several big names - with plenty to say. CGTN’s Natalie Carney reports.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi has called for a two-state solution and more effective
00:04 mediation efforts to solve the conflict in Gaza. He was addressing world leaders at the
00:09 Munich Security Conference, where the fighting between Israel and Palestine is dominating
00:15 the talks. Officials in Gaza say the Palestinian death toll is approaching 29,000 and there
00:21 is growing pressure on Israel from many countries, including some of its closest allies, not
00:27 to expand its ground offensive into the border town of Rafa.
00:33 The Palestinian people have been displaced for generations and are still unable to return
00:37 to their homes. This is the longest lasting injustice in modern times. China firmly stands
00:44 on the side of fairness and justice, works hard for a ceasefire and does its best to
00:49 protect civilians. Push the Security Council to adopt the first resolution since the outbreak
00:54 of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and issue a position paper on the political settlement
01:00 of the Palestinian-Israeli issue. China calls for accelerating the establishment of an independent
01:05 Palestinian state and convening a larger scale and more effective international cooperation
01:10 conference so that the peaceful coexistence of Palestine and Israel can be truly realized.
01:17 Our correspondent Natalie Carney is there in Munich. Natalie, what more can you tell
01:21 us about what the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had to say?
01:26 Yes, he did broach a number of security situations around the world in his about 15 minute speech,
01:33 of course the situation in Gaza, where he called on, he presented Beijing's position
01:38 calling for an immediate ceasefire of the situation and to lift any blockades on humanitarian
01:45 corridors as well as to hold international peace conference to revive this two-state
01:52 solution. On the issue of Ukraine, he said that China was working tirelessly to find
01:57 a political solution to the crisis but that both countries needed to have their security
02:03 issues recognized. He also touched on relations with the US and even touched on how China
02:10 was part of the reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran and how that sort of helped
02:16 bring the Middle East closer together. On the sidelines today here in Munich, Foreign
02:22 Minister Wang Yi also met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz as well as the EU High Representative
02:29 for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Joseph Borrella. The two exchanged views on the situation
02:35 in Ukraine and in Gaza and spoke about how China and the EU could work closer together
02:42 to help with the challenges of this much more chaotic and uncertain world.
02:49 China and Europe as the world's two major forces, two major civilizations and markets
02:54 should be aware of the international responsibilities both undertake. A more stable and closer China-Europe
03:01 relationship will be beneficial to each other and also the whole world. We should avoid
03:07 the interference of geopolitics and ideology, adhere to the positioning of partners rather
03:13 than rivals and work together to inject positive energy to cope with the turbulent situation
03:19 and provide a new direction to overcome the difficulties together.
03:23 Natalie, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has also been speaking at that conference
03:29 there. This is happening as Kiev's troops withdraw from the key eastern town of Avdivka.
03:35 Did he talk about that and what are his demands of Ukraine's allies?
03:40 Yes, he did speak of that situation. His army chief basically gave him the news that he
03:47 was going to withdraw troops from Avdivka just hours before Zelensky took to the stage
03:52 here in Munich. Zelensky called that decision the right choice, saying saving lives of Ukrainian
03:58 soldiers is their top priority. He also spoke about the difficulties in finding rotation
04:03 for these soldiers who are very, very tired. There was even the subject of potentially
04:08 lowering the age of conscription in Ukraine. During his actual address, he spoke about
04:13 returning to a rules-based world order in 2024 in which security could be a reality
04:20 again. He did thank his allies very much for their attitude towards Ukrainian refugees,
04:27 millions of people that have been forced to flee the country, and also, of course, for
04:31 the substantial military assistance that the U.S. and that Europe has provided, but did
04:39 stress the very important need for weaponry, calling it an absence of weapons.
04:46 We can get our land back and Putin can lose. And this has already happened more than once
04:53 on the battlefield, dear friends. Unfortunately, keeping Ukraine in the artificial deficit
05:01 of weapons, particularly in deficit of artillery and long-range capabilities, allows Putin
05:07 to adapt to the current intensity of the war. The self-weakening of democracy over time
05:18 undermines our joint results. He also had a very busy day on the sidelines
05:25 here in Munich, meeting with the prime ministers of Denmark, as well as the Netherlands and
05:31 the prime minister of Bangladesh. He also spent some time with the U.S. Vice President
05:37 Kamala Harris. The two had a press conference after in which Zelensky said that the delay
05:43 in humanitarian aid to the Ukraine was not considered a betrayal. He understood that
05:49 there's internal politics happening in the United States, but that, of course, is more
05:54 concern for the Europeans if the U.S. do delay or reduce their support to Ukraine.