China urges all sides to ensure safety of Ukraine nuclear facilities

FILE PHOTO: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin attends a news conference in Beijing

BEIJING (Reuters) -China’s foreign ministry on Friday urged all sides to ensure the safety of nuclear facilities in Ukraine, after a fire broke out in a building adjacent to a nuclear plant that was later seized by Russian forces, according to Ukraine.

“We will monitor the situation and call on all sides to exercise restraint, avoid escalation and ensure the safety of relevant nuclear facilities,” foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a daily briefing.

China has refused to condemn Russia’s attack on Ukraine or call it an invasion. Wang said on Friday that China is “very concerned” about the situation.

Fears of a potential nuclear disaster at the Zaporizhzhia plant had spread alarm across world capitals, before authorities said the fire in a building identified as a training centre, had been extinguished.

(Reporting by Emily ChowEditing by Shri Navaratnam;Writing by Tony Munroe; Editing by Kim Coghill)

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