BEIJING:Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying Wednesday opposed imposing unilateral sanctions on Russia and called for resolving the Ukraine situation through dialogue and consultation. “Sanctions have never been an effective way to solve problems, and China has always opposed unilateral sanctions,” she said during her regular briefing when asked if China would join Western countries in sanctioning Russia over Ukraine. The spokesperson said, on regional hotspot issues, China had always been committed to promoting peace talks and playing a constructive role in promoting the peaceful resolution of regional hotspot issues. On the Ukraine issue, China had always called on all parties to respect and attach importance to each other’s legitimate security concerns, and strive to negotiate to resolve problems and jointly maintain regional peace and stability, he added. Hua informed that on Feb16, President Xi Jinping emphasized in a phone call with President Macron that all parties concerned should adhere to the general direction of political settlement, make full use of multilateral platforms including the Normandy mechanism, and seek a comprehensive solution to the Ukraine issue through dialogue and consultation. Recently, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi also emphasized that all parties should earnestly shoulder their responsibilities and work for peace, instead of blindly raising tensions, creating panic, and even exaggerating war, she added.