Re: China
Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2022 4:37 pm
China Gives America a Taste of its Own Geopolitics
Posted by INTERNATIONALIST 360° on AUGUST 10, 2022
Brian Berletic
Under the US’ own one China policy, Washington recognizes there is only one China, that Taiwan is a part of China, and that there is only one government of China, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in Beijing. Despite this, the US undermines Chinese sovereignty over Taiwan by treating the island as a de facto nation and the Republic of China in Taipei as its de facto legitimate government.
This culminated most recently in the visit by US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan against Beijing’s warnings and has predictably triggered what many analysts in the West are considering the “Fourth Strait Crisis” in which tensions between the US-backed regime in Taipei and the legitimate government of China have escalated to near-conflict levels.
Also as predicted, with the continual rise of Chinese economic and military power, the US’ own maxim of “might makes right” has boomeranged around and now threatens the very status quo Washington was abusing to incrementally infringe on Chinese sovereignty.
Chinese Military Might Seeks to Make Taiwan Question Right
In the wake of Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, massive Chinese military drills were launched including a de facto air and sea blockade of the island as well as simulated assaults on Taiwan’s military infrastructure around Taipei and its southern Tainan and Kaohsiung regions. What was first dismissed as a “tantrum” by an “embarrassed Beijing” is quickly shaping into a much more deliberate and complex reaction meant to reshape both the status of the Taiwan Strait as well as the status of Taiwan itself.
US representatives appear to believe that the recent exercises are only the beginning of what is an incremental process of implementing greater and permanent control over Taiwan by Being. A Guardian article titled, “China resumes military drills off Taiwan after shelving US talks,” would note:
The US defence department policy chief, Colin Kahl, said the Pentagon had not changed the assessment given last year by the former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Mark Milley, that China was unlikely to invade Taiwan in the next two years. However, Kahl said Beijing was trying to “salami-slice their way into a new status quo”.
“A lot has been made of the missile strikes but really it’s the activities in the strait itself, the sheer number of maritime and air assets that are crossing over this de facto centre line, creeping closer to Taiwan shores, where it’s clear that Beijing is trying to create a kind of new normal,” he said.
The article would also note that the recent exercises demonstrate China’s growing abilities. The article claimed:
Timothy Heath, a defence researcher at the Rand Corporation, said China’s drills over the past few days showed the PLA was strengthening its ability to carry out a blockade.
“A blockade could be executed alone or in conjunction with other military options such as missile barrages or an invasion of Taiwan,” he said.
Indeed, China has one of the largest and most capable missile arsenals in the world even according to Western experts.
The US-based government and arms industry-funded Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in a China Power paper titled, “How Are China’s Land-based Conventional Missile Forces Evolving?,” would explain:
As part of sweeping efforts to modernize the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), China has developed one of the most powerful land-based conventional missile arsenals in the world.
Chinese missiles combined with formidable air and sea defenses make up its anti-access, area denial capabilities, capabilities advanced enough to prevent the United States from intervening should Beijing choose to fully resolve this crisis of Washington’s making.
China is Pushing Back, But How Far?
It is now a matter of waiting to see just how far Beijing is willing to go down each respective path; economically, politically, and militarily. If China’s recent Global Times article, “PLA extends ‘Taiwan encirclement’ exercises with anti-submarine warfare, showcases unrivaled area denial capability; ‘drills will not stop until reunification’,” is any indication, Beijing is prepared to go all the way.
International law favors Beijing’s stance on Taiwan versus decades of US-sponsored separatism done in full violation of both Washington’s own bilateral agreements with Beijing and in violation of international law. Decades of US military aggression, meddling, and subversion around the globe have now, ironically, played into the hands of Beijing who can easily cite US actions to justify virtually any level of force it feels is necessary in pursuit of defending its own sovereignty in regards to Taiwan.
Many contributors to and supporters of Washington’s strategy of belligerence toward China are attempting to dissuade Beijing from its current apparent course of action, understanding just how permanently Beijing could settle the “Taiwan question” if it commits fully at this time. They are doing so through “warnings” that any attempt to change the current “status quo” regarding Taiwan and the waters around it could be “disastrous” for Beijing.
A recent article by David Uren, an Australian economic writer and a senior fellow at the anti-China “Australian Strategic Policy Initiative” (ASPI) in a recent op-ed titled, “A blockade of Taiwan would cripple China’s economy,” would claim:
If a real Chinese blockade were challenged by the United States and the Taiwan Strait were designated a war zone, trade finance and insurance would evaporate for all shipping in the area.
Any real-life disruption of the sea lanes to the east and west of Taiwan would have a crippling effect on China’s own economy, since its major ports of Shanghai, Dalian, Tianjin and others are dependent on passage through waters near Taiwan.
Yet, as the op-ed also grudgingly admits, it would not be only China’s economy that suffered, but also Australia’s, Europe’s, and it stands to reason America’s as well.
There is one option that appears to escape the “top” Western “thinkers” and “analysts” when it comes to Taiwan, finally and fully upholding the West’s own agreed upon one China policies. Indeed, if the US and its allies simply made good on their own bilateral agreements with China, respecting its sovereignty over Taiwan, and stopped the artificial propping up of the regime in Taipei, this whole crisis and the potential war it may lead to would resolve itself.
Yet as US-led meddling in Ukraine has proven, the West is not capable of respecting international law or its own bilateral agreements with the rest of the world, making conflict all but inevitable. Russia for its part was fully prepared for the conflict that finally resulted after decades of abuse by the West, leaving a relatively unprepared West to suffer the consequences of its own belligerent actions. Only time will tell if China is likewise prepared and whether or not the West is as eager or able to weather yet another crisis of its own creation.
As tensions continue to rise between Washington and Beijing over Taiwan, it is important to keep track of the undercurrent of propaganda the US uses to shape public perception regarding China in the first place. Continued efforts by the US to use organizations like the UN in its propaganda war against China includes an upcoming report regarding Xinjiang, China meant to undermine a recent visit by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to the region.
References:
BBC – Why is there tension between China and the Uighurs? (2014): https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-c…
AP – AP Exclusive: Uighurs fighting in Syria take aim at China: https://apnews.com/article/syria-ap-t…
AP – Terror & tourism: Xinjiang eases its grip, but fear remains: https://apnews.com/article/coronaviru…
Reuters – EXCLUSIVE China seeks to stop UN rights chief from releasing Xinjiang report – document: https://www.reuters.com/world/china/e…
US National Endowment for Democracy (NED) – Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act Builds on Work of NED Grantees: https://www.ned.org/uyghur-human-righ…
US NED – Xinjiang/East Turkestan (China) 2021: https://www.ned.org/region/asia/xinji…
https://libya360.wordpress.com/2022/08/ ... opolitics/
*********************
PLA to regularly patrol Taiwan region
By ZHANG ZHIHAO | China Daily | Updated: 2022-08-11 07:10
A warplane of the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) conducts operations around the Taiwan Island, Aug 4, 2022. [Photo/Xinhua]
The Eastern Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army will organize regular combat patrols in the Taiwan region and resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity after successfully completing its recent training exercises around Taiwan, Senior Colonel Shi Yi, a spokesman for the theater command, said in a statement on Wednesday.
The recent military drills in the seas and airspace around Taiwan have achieved their mission objectives and effectively tested the theater command's joint combat capability, he said.
The theater command will keep a close eye on the situation in the Taiwan Straits and continue its military training and war preparation efforts, he added. At the same time, it will organize regular "combat readiness patrols" in the region, Shi said.
The PLA has conducted a series of live-fire exercises this month in the wake of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to the island on Aug 2. Over the past week, dozens of ballistic missiles and long-range rockets were fired at targets around Taiwan, while more than 100 aircraft and over 10 destroyers and frigates participated in the exercises.
Some of the PLA's top military hardware, such as the J-20 stealth fighter jet and the DF-17 hypersonic ballistic missile, saw action in the recent exercises. Analysts said the exercises had essentially encircled the island, given their unprecedented intensity and scale.
The Ministry of National Defense said in a statement on Wednesday that the PLA's exercises around Taiwan serve as a powerful deterrence to Taiwan separatist forces and foreign interference. "They are justified and necessary actions to protect national sovereignty and territorial integrity," said Senior Colonel Tan Kefei, a ministry spokesman.
Tan said the exercises were open, transparent and professional, and were conducted in accordance with domestic and international laws and practices. Pelosi's visit to the island blatantly challenged and undermined China's core interests and severely damaged peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits, he said.
The island's Democratic Progressive Party has pursued its separatist agenda by colluding with foreign powers, disregarded the safety of Taiwan people and pushed Taiwan into the chasm of calamity. "It will be pinned to history's wall of shame," he said.
Tan said the process of reunification is unstoppable, and the momentum and opportunity for solving the Taiwan question have always been in the hands of those that support national reunification.
"For the well-being of the Taiwan people, we are willing to exercise utmost sincerity and effort to pursue the prospect of peaceful reunification, but the PLA will leave no room for Taiwan separatist forces and foreign powers to achieve their goals," he said.
Now, cross-Straits relations are once again at a crossroads and Taiwan authorities must make the right choice, Tan added.
http://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/20220 ... 717f5.html
Chinese envoy addresses risks at Ukraine nuclear facilities
By MINLU ZHANG at the United Nations | China Daily Global | Updated: 2022-08-12 09:04
A view shows the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine Aug 4, 2022. [Photo/Agencies]
A Chinese ambassador to the United Nations on Thursday reiterated his concerns over the safety and security of nuclear facilities in Ukraine, calling for efforts to minimize the possibility of the leakage of radioactive materials.
"China has been closely following the issue of the safety and security of nuclear facilities in Ukraine and is deeply concerned by the recent shelling on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant," Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the UN, said at a UN Security Council Briefing on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
Zhang said according to the information obtained by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from Ukraine's nuclear regulator, the shelling did not pose an immediate threat to nuclear safety, and the radiation level remained normal.
"Nevertheless, the shelling did cause damage to the physical integrity of the plant, its safety and security system, power supply and personnel safety, which sounded a nuclear alarm to the international community," he said.
Ukraine and Russia have exchanged accusations over strikes on the plant in southern Ukraine, which is one of the largest atomic power complexes in Europe and generates a quarter of Ukraine's electricity. It has been under the control of Russian forces since March and has been the scene of military strikes in recent days.
"The safety and security of nuclear sites must not be subjected to trial and error," said Zhang. If a large-scale accident were to occur at Zaporizhzhia, the consequences would be even more devastating than that of the Fukushima nuclear accident, according to Zhang.
The leakage of massive quantities of radioactive materials caused by the Fukushima nuclear disaster and the resulting nuclear-contaminated water have far-reaching consequences for the marine environment, food safety and human health, thereby sparking widespread concern, he said. "China does not want to see the same risks playing out again."
"We call on the parties concerned to exercise restraint, act with caution, refrain from any action that may compromise nuclear safety and security, and spare no effort to minimize the possibility of accidents," the envoy said.
"China always supposes the IAEA's active role in promoting nuclear safety and security and performing its safeguard duties in strict accordance with its mandate," said Zhang.
In Thursday's meeting, Rafael Grossi, director-general of the IAEA called for a cessation of military activity around the plant. He referred to the situation as "a grave hour" and said that IAEA inspectors must be allowed to examine the complex "as soon as possible".
Zhang said he hopes the existing obstacles can be cleared as soon as possible for Grossi and the IAEA team of experts to visit the Zaporizhzhia plant and that they will be able to conduct their work without impediment.
The security risks posed by the conflict to nuclear facilities are looming large throughout the Ukraine crisis, said Zhang. "Only by defusing the situation and restoring peace at an early date, can we fundamentally remove nuclear risks, reduce misjudgment, and avoid accidents.
"Once again, we call on all parties concerned to resume negotiations as early as possible, seek a solution to the Ukraine crisis in a cool-headed and rational fashion, address each other's legitimate security concerns, and build a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture, so as to achieve common security," he said.
As shelling continued near the site, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday said he was "gravely concerned" the hostilities might lead to a disaster.
"I have appealed to all concerned to exercise common sense and reason and not to undertake any actions that might endanger the physical integrity, safety or security of the nuclear plant," he said in a statement.
http://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/20220 ... 71c15.html
Posted by INTERNATIONALIST 360° on AUGUST 10, 2022
Brian Berletic
Under the US’ own one China policy, Washington recognizes there is only one China, that Taiwan is a part of China, and that there is only one government of China, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in Beijing. Despite this, the US undermines Chinese sovereignty over Taiwan by treating the island as a de facto nation and the Republic of China in Taipei as its de facto legitimate government.
This culminated most recently in the visit by US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan against Beijing’s warnings and has predictably triggered what many analysts in the West are considering the “Fourth Strait Crisis” in which tensions between the US-backed regime in Taipei and the legitimate government of China have escalated to near-conflict levels.
Also as predicted, with the continual rise of Chinese economic and military power, the US’ own maxim of “might makes right” has boomeranged around and now threatens the very status quo Washington was abusing to incrementally infringe on Chinese sovereignty.
Chinese Military Might Seeks to Make Taiwan Question Right
In the wake of Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, massive Chinese military drills were launched including a de facto air and sea blockade of the island as well as simulated assaults on Taiwan’s military infrastructure around Taipei and its southern Tainan and Kaohsiung regions. What was first dismissed as a “tantrum” by an “embarrassed Beijing” is quickly shaping into a much more deliberate and complex reaction meant to reshape both the status of the Taiwan Strait as well as the status of Taiwan itself.
US representatives appear to believe that the recent exercises are only the beginning of what is an incremental process of implementing greater and permanent control over Taiwan by Being. A Guardian article titled, “China resumes military drills off Taiwan after shelving US talks,” would note:
The US defence department policy chief, Colin Kahl, said the Pentagon had not changed the assessment given last year by the former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Mark Milley, that China was unlikely to invade Taiwan in the next two years. However, Kahl said Beijing was trying to “salami-slice their way into a new status quo”.
“A lot has been made of the missile strikes but really it’s the activities in the strait itself, the sheer number of maritime and air assets that are crossing over this de facto centre line, creeping closer to Taiwan shores, where it’s clear that Beijing is trying to create a kind of new normal,” he said.
The article would also note that the recent exercises demonstrate China’s growing abilities. The article claimed:
Timothy Heath, a defence researcher at the Rand Corporation, said China’s drills over the past few days showed the PLA was strengthening its ability to carry out a blockade.
“A blockade could be executed alone or in conjunction with other military options such as missile barrages or an invasion of Taiwan,” he said.
Indeed, China has one of the largest and most capable missile arsenals in the world even according to Western experts.
The US-based government and arms industry-funded Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in a China Power paper titled, “How Are China’s Land-based Conventional Missile Forces Evolving?,” would explain:
As part of sweeping efforts to modernize the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), China has developed one of the most powerful land-based conventional missile arsenals in the world.
Chinese missiles combined with formidable air and sea defenses make up its anti-access, area denial capabilities, capabilities advanced enough to prevent the United States from intervening should Beijing choose to fully resolve this crisis of Washington’s making.
China is Pushing Back, But How Far?
It is now a matter of waiting to see just how far Beijing is willing to go down each respective path; economically, politically, and militarily. If China’s recent Global Times article, “PLA extends ‘Taiwan encirclement’ exercises with anti-submarine warfare, showcases unrivaled area denial capability; ‘drills will not stop until reunification’,” is any indication, Beijing is prepared to go all the way.
International law favors Beijing’s stance on Taiwan versus decades of US-sponsored separatism done in full violation of both Washington’s own bilateral agreements with Beijing and in violation of international law. Decades of US military aggression, meddling, and subversion around the globe have now, ironically, played into the hands of Beijing who can easily cite US actions to justify virtually any level of force it feels is necessary in pursuit of defending its own sovereignty in regards to Taiwan.
Many contributors to and supporters of Washington’s strategy of belligerence toward China are attempting to dissuade Beijing from its current apparent course of action, understanding just how permanently Beijing could settle the “Taiwan question” if it commits fully at this time. They are doing so through “warnings” that any attempt to change the current “status quo” regarding Taiwan and the waters around it could be “disastrous” for Beijing.
A recent article by David Uren, an Australian economic writer and a senior fellow at the anti-China “Australian Strategic Policy Initiative” (ASPI) in a recent op-ed titled, “A blockade of Taiwan would cripple China’s economy,” would claim:
If a real Chinese blockade were challenged by the United States and the Taiwan Strait were designated a war zone, trade finance and insurance would evaporate for all shipping in the area.
Any real-life disruption of the sea lanes to the east and west of Taiwan would have a crippling effect on China’s own economy, since its major ports of Shanghai, Dalian, Tianjin and others are dependent on passage through waters near Taiwan.
Yet, as the op-ed also grudgingly admits, it would not be only China’s economy that suffered, but also Australia’s, Europe’s, and it stands to reason America’s as well.
There is one option that appears to escape the “top” Western “thinkers” and “analysts” when it comes to Taiwan, finally and fully upholding the West’s own agreed upon one China policies. Indeed, if the US and its allies simply made good on their own bilateral agreements with China, respecting its sovereignty over Taiwan, and stopped the artificial propping up of the regime in Taipei, this whole crisis and the potential war it may lead to would resolve itself.
Yet as US-led meddling in Ukraine has proven, the West is not capable of respecting international law or its own bilateral agreements with the rest of the world, making conflict all but inevitable. Russia for its part was fully prepared for the conflict that finally resulted after decades of abuse by the West, leaving a relatively unprepared West to suffer the consequences of its own belligerent actions. Only time will tell if China is likewise prepared and whether or not the West is as eager or able to weather yet another crisis of its own creation.
As tensions continue to rise between Washington and Beijing over Taiwan, it is important to keep track of the undercurrent of propaganda the US uses to shape public perception regarding China in the first place. Continued efforts by the US to use organizations like the UN in its propaganda war against China includes an upcoming report regarding Xinjiang, China meant to undermine a recent visit by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to the region.
References:
BBC – Why is there tension between China and the Uighurs? (2014): https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-c…
AP – AP Exclusive: Uighurs fighting in Syria take aim at China: https://apnews.com/article/syria-ap-t…
AP – Terror & tourism: Xinjiang eases its grip, but fear remains: https://apnews.com/article/coronaviru…
Reuters – EXCLUSIVE China seeks to stop UN rights chief from releasing Xinjiang report – document: https://www.reuters.com/world/china/e…
US National Endowment for Democracy (NED) – Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act Builds on Work of NED Grantees: https://www.ned.org/uyghur-human-righ…
US NED – Xinjiang/East Turkestan (China) 2021: https://www.ned.org/region/asia/xinji…
https://libya360.wordpress.com/2022/08/ ... opolitics/
*********************
PLA to regularly patrol Taiwan region
By ZHANG ZHIHAO | China Daily | Updated: 2022-08-11 07:10
A warplane of the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) conducts operations around the Taiwan Island, Aug 4, 2022. [Photo/Xinhua]
The Eastern Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army will organize regular combat patrols in the Taiwan region and resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity after successfully completing its recent training exercises around Taiwan, Senior Colonel Shi Yi, a spokesman for the theater command, said in a statement on Wednesday.
The recent military drills in the seas and airspace around Taiwan have achieved their mission objectives and effectively tested the theater command's joint combat capability, he said.
The theater command will keep a close eye on the situation in the Taiwan Straits and continue its military training and war preparation efforts, he added. At the same time, it will organize regular "combat readiness patrols" in the region, Shi said.
The PLA has conducted a series of live-fire exercises this month in the wake of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to the island on Aug 2. Over the past week, dozens of ballistic missiles and long-range rockets were fired at targets around Taiwan, while more than 100 aircraft and over 10 destroyers and frigates participated in the exercises.
Some of the PLA's top military hardware, such as the J-20 stealth fighter jet and the DF-17 hypersonic ballistic missile, saw action in the recent exercises. Analysts said the exercises had essentially encircled the island, given their unprecedented intensity and scale.
The Ministry of National Defense said in a statement on Wednesday that the PLA's exercises around Taiwan serve as a powerful deterrence to Taiwan separatist forces and foreign interference. "They are justified and necessary actions to protect national sovereignty and territorial integrity," said Senior Colonel Tan Kefei, a ministry spokesman.
Tan said the exercises were open, transparent and professional, and were conducted in accordance with domestic and international laws and practices. Pelosi's visit to the island blatantly challenged and undermined China's core interests and severely damaged peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits, he said.
The island's Democratic Progressive Party has pursued its separatist agenda by colluding with foreign powers, disregarded the safety of Taiwan people and pushed Taiwan into the chasm of calamity. "It will be pinned to history's wall of shame," he said.
Tan said the process of reunification is unstoppable, and the momentum and opportunity for solving the Taiwan question have always been in the hands of those that support national reunification.
"For the well-being of the Taiwan people, we are willing to exercise utmost sincerity and effort to pursue the prospect of peaceful reunification, but the PLA will leave no room for Taiwan separatist forces and foreign powers to achieve their goals," he said.
Now, cross-Straits relations are once again at a crossroads and Taiwan authorities must make the right choice, Tan added.
http://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/20220 ... 717f5.html
Chinese envoy addresses risks at Ukraine nuclear facilities
By MINLU ZHANG at the United Nations | China Daily Global | Updated: 2022-08-12 09:04
A view shows the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine Aug 4, 2022. [Photo/Agencies]
A Chinese ambassador to the United Nations on Thursday reiterated his concerns over the safety and security of nuclear facilities in Ukraine, calling for efforts to minimize the possibility of the leakage of radioactive materials.
"China has been closely following the issue of the safety and security of nuclear facilities in Ukraine and is deeply concerned by the recent shelling on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant," Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the UN, said at a UN Security Council Briefing on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
Zhang said according to the information obtained by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from Ukraine's nuclear regulator, the shelling did not pose an immediate threat to nuclear safety, and the radiation level remained normal.
"Nevertheless, the shelling did cause damage to the physical integrity of the plant, its safety and security system, power supply and personnel safety, which sounded a nuclear alarm to the international community," he said.
Ukraine and Russia have exchanged accusations over strikes on the plant in southern Ukraine, which is one of the largest atomic power complexes in Europe and generates a quarter of Ukraine's electricity. It has been under the control of Russian forces since March and has been the scene of military strikes in recent days.
"The safety and security of nuclear sites must not be subjected to trial and error," said Zhang. If a large-scale accident were to occur at Zaporizhzhia, the consequences would be even more devastating than that of the Fukushima nuclear accident, according to Zhang.
The leakage of massive quantities of radioactive materials caused by the Fukushima nuclear disaster and the resulting nuclear-contaminated water have far-reaching consequences for the marine environment, food safety and human health, thereby sparking widespread concern, he said. "China does not want to see the same risks playing out again."
"We call on the parties concerned to exercise restraint, act with caution, refrain from any action that may compromise nuclear safety and security, and spare no effort to minimize the possibility of accidents," the envoy said.
"China always supposes the IAEA's active role in promoting nuclear safety and security and performing its safeguard duties in strict accordance with its mandate," said Zhang.
In Thursday's meeting, Rafael Grossi, director-general of the IAEA called for a cessation of military activity around the plant. He referred to the situation as "a grave hour" and said that IAEA inspectors must be allowed to examine the complex "as soon as possible".
Zhang said he hopes the existing obstacles can be cleared as soon as possible for Grossi and the IAEA team of experts to visit the Zaporizhzhia plant and that they will be able to conduct their work without impediment.
The security risks posed by the conflict to nuclear facilities are looming large throughout the Ukraine crisis, said Zhang. "Only by defusing the situation and restoring peace at an early date, can we fundamentally remove nuclear risks, reduce misjudgment, and avoid accidents.
"Once again, we call on all parties concerned to resume negotiations as early as possible, seek a solution to the Ukraine crisis in a cool-headed and rational fashion, address each other's legitimate security concerns, and build a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture, so as to achieve common security," he said.
As shelling continued near the site, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday said he was "gravely concerned" the hostilities might lead to a disaster.
"I have appealed to all concerned to exercise common sense and reason and not to undertake any actions that might endanger the physical integrity, safety or security of the nuclear plant," he said in a statement.
http://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/20220 ... 71c15.html