China expressed "serious concern" on June 7 over the destruction of a major Russian-held dam in Ukraine, with Beijing saying it feared the "humanitarian, economic and ecological impacts" of the incident.
"We express serious concern over the damage to the dam at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said.
Beijing is "deeply concerned about the resulting humanitarian, economic and ecological impacts", he said.
Streets are flooded in Kherson, Ukraine, Wednesday, June 7, 2023 after the Kakhovka dam was blown up. Residents of southern Ukraine, some who spent the night on rooftops, braced for a second day of swelling floodwaters on Wednesday as authorities warned that a Dnieper River dam breach would continue to unleash pent-up waters from a giant reservoir. | Photo Credit: AP
"We call on all parties to the conflict to abide by international humanitarian law and do their best to protect the safety of civilians and civilian facilities," Mr. Wang said.
Ukraine is evacuating thousands of people after the dam's destruction on June 6 unleashed a torrent of water, with Moscow and Kyiv trading blame for the explosion.
Washington has warned there would be "likely many deaths" from the destruction of the dam, which is located on the frontline and provides cooling water for Europe's largest nuclear plant.
While China says it is a neutral party in the Ukraine conflict, it has been criticised for refusing to condemn Moscow for its offensive.
Streets are flooded in Kherson, Ukraine, Wednesday, June 7, 2023 after the Kakhovka dam was blown up. Residents of southern Ukraine, some who spent the night on rooftops, braced for a second day of swelling floodwaters on Wednesday as authorities warned that a Dnieper River dam breach would continue to unleash pent-up waters from a giant reservoir. | Photo Credit: AP
Beijing's "position on the Ukraine crisis is consistent and clear", Mr. Wang said.
"It is hoped that all parties will be committed to a political solution to the Ukrainian crisis and will jointly promote the alleviation of the situation," he said.
China and Russia's strategic partnership has only grown closer since the invasion of Ukraine, with data Wednesday showing trade between the two has soared to levels not seen since the beginning of Moscow's war in February 2022.
