China calls for protection of civilians, political settlement at UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine

China on Thursday called on all parties to the Ukraine crisis to exercise restraint, cease attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, and create conditions for an early ceasefire and the resumption of peace talks as the United Nations Security Council convened an emergency open meeting on the situation in Ukraine.

Addressing the meeting, Sun Lei, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said the latest developments in the Ukraine crisis are deeply concerning.

Sun noted that the parties to the conflict have launched frequent military strikes, with the intensity, scale and scope of the attacks exceeding the previous levels, resulting in heavy civilian casualties and extensive damage to infrastructure.

China condemns all attacks targeting innocent civilians and calls on the parties concerned to stop attacking civilians and civilian infrastructure, he said.

"Relevant parties should remain calm and exercise restraint, strictly observe international humanitarian law, make every effort to de-escalate the situation, and create conditions for an early ceasefire and an end to the conflict," Sun said.

He stressed that all parties should remain patient, demonstrate political will, resume dialogue and negotiations at an early date, and strive to reach a comprehensive, lasting and binding peace agreement.

Sun also said all parties should address each other's security concerns in a rational manner, promote the establishment of a balanced, effective and sustainable regional security architecture, and work toward lasting peace and stability in the region.

Reaffirming China's position on the Ukraine issue, Sun said China has consistently upheld an objective and impartial stance, remained committed to promoting a political settlement of the crisis, maintained communication with all relevant parties, and continued to encourage peace talks in its own way.

China stands ready to continue working with the international community to play a constructive role in promoting the early political resolution of the crisis, he said.

China's immigration authorities inspected 20.844 million inbound and outbound vehicles in the first half of the year, up 17.1 percent from last year, the National Immigration Administration said at a press briefing on Friday.

The number included 490,000 aircraft, 56,000 trains, 229,000 ships, and 20.068 million motor vehicles, rising one percent, 5.7 percent, 4.6 percent, and 17.8 percent, respectively, said the administration.

During the same period, the administration issued 10.392 million ordinary passports and 49.585 million travel endorsements for mainland residents traveling to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), the Macao Special Administrative Region (Macao SAR) and Taiwan region. It also issued 1.104 million permits for residents of the HKSAR, the Macao SAR and Taiwan region to visit the mainland, and 991,000 visas or permits for foreign nationals.