China urged the world to stop drawing parallels between Ukraine and Taiwan, part of Beijing’s efforts to distance itself from Russia and portray itself as a neutral force for peace.

“China is deeply worried about the escalation of the Ukraine conflict and it possibly spiraling out of control,” Foreign Minister Qin Gang said Tuesday in remarks in Beijing to roll out President Xi Jinping’s new “Global Security Initiative.”

“We urge certain countries to immediately stop fueling the fire, stop shifting blame to China and stop touting ‘Ukraine today, Taiwan tomorrow,’” Qin added.

China in recent days has stepped up its efforts to draw a distinction between Ukraine and Taiwan, while rejecting US claims that it’s privately considering providing weapons to support Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war effort. Beijing plans to unveil a peace proposal in the coming days, an initiative met with skepticism among the US and its allies.

Beijing has long considered the democratically run Taiwan as its territory and has framed any support for the island’s leaders as a violation of sovereignty. The government in Taipei says that it is already a de facto nation in need of more recognition on the world stage.

(Bloomberg)

Slavic people living in Taiwan display posters and a Ukraine flag during a rally at the Free Square in front of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei. (AFP)

China urges world to stop saying "Taiwan’s next” after Ukraine