China does not participate in or plot wars, says foreign minister

The most senior Chinese official to address the tensions so far, Wang added that China must “resolutely respond” to Japan's actions.

China does not participate in wars or plot them, its foreign minister said on Saturday, after the United States urged allies to impose tariffs on Russian oil buyers, which include China.

The US has been urging countries buying Russian oil to stop doing as it tries secure and end to Russia’s war in Ukraine. Washington has imposed tariffs on India for purchasing Russian cargoes but has refrained from penalising China, which regards Russia as an “all-weather” strategic partner.

War cannot solve problems, and sanctions only complicate them, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told a joint press conference with his Slovenian counterpart in Slovenia’s capital, Ljubljana, according to a statement from his ministry