China is 'deeply' worried about Ukraine crisis, Premier Li Keqiang says

BEIJING - China is "Deeply" worried about the crisis in Ukraine, Premier Li Keqiang said Friday, warning that sanctions will hurt global growth. "On Ukraine, indeed the current situation there is grave, and China is deeply concerned and grieved," Li said in Mandarin, according to an official translation. Since Russia's attack on Ukraine about two weeks ago, Beijing has refused to call it an invasion and said China would maintain normal trade with both countries, without joining in on U.S., EU and other countries' sanctions on Russia. On Monday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said relations with Russia were "Rock solid." He pointed to a joint statement with Russia issued after a high-level meeting in early February between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. During the Friday briefing, Li maintained that China has "Followed an independent policy of peace" and repeated Beijing's line of encouraging Russia and Ukraine to negotiate. Li did not specifically say whether China would economically support Russia, but noted China supports "All efforts that are conducive to a peaceful resolution of the crisis." Li closed the roughly two-hour-long briefing with a pledge that China would continue to open up its economy regardless of changes in the international environment.