PALIKIR, Pohnpei—On March 28 , 2022, His Excellency David W. Panuelo—President of theFederated States of Micronesia (FSM)—wrote a letter to His Excellency Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China (China), soliciting China’s support to call for the Russian Federation’s withdrawal from, and cessation of hostilities in, Ukraine, and further to put the World at large on a path to peace.
The text of the President’s letter is below and a PDF to the diplomatic note can be found here:https://gov.fm/files/President_Panuelos_Ltr_to_President_Xi_Jinping.pdf
President Xi,
I write to you today with humility in my heart. At this hour, a weary and distraught humanity is in need of champions for peace. Nations must work together now to lead us into the paths of peace.
Approximately one month ago, the Russian Federation brutally invaded Ukraine without provocation or justification. In the month of war so far, the Russian Federation has engaged in numerous war crimes, including the murder of innocent civilians and the destruction of infrastructure such as hospitals and schools. There have been reports of white phosphorous and other extraordinarily harmful material being used for no reason other than to extinguish precious human lives; and, of course, the Russian Federation has frequently raised the specter of using nuclear weapons. There is no nuance in Russia’s behavior; they are choosing to act as villains.
Due to our Nation’s unwavering commitment to peace, friendship, cooperation, and love in our
common humanity, we felt it was necessary to demonstrate our firm protest of the Russian Federation’s unnecessary war and invasion of Ukraine by severing our diplomatic relations with
them until such a time that the Russian Federation can show an actionable commitment to these values. Our country knows all too well what it’s like to be controlled by foreign powers, whether it be the Spanish and German Empires in the 19th century, the Japanese Empire after World War I
and prior to World War II, or the American Empire shortly thereafter. In other words, nations have forgotten the lessons learned from the tragedies of the last century, the sacrifice of the millions who fell in the two World Wars. Nations have disregarded the commitments we have made for the world
community. We have betrayed peoples’ dreams of peace, and the hopes of the young and the vulnerable. We have stopped being our neighbors’ keepers and stewards of our common humanity.
The Federated States of Micronesia is committed to peace, and recognizes and appreciates that China feels precisely the same way, because China fought—with diplomacy, not weapons—at the United Nations for our country to become sovereign and internationally recognized, among other countries.
It is increasingly clear to the Federated States of Micronesia that the Russian Federation—perhaps due to its historical and ideological differences with the United States of America and its partners— has no interest in ending its war in Ukraine any time soon, despite increasing pressure from the U.S. and Europe. It is even possible that the more the U.S.-side and European-sides increase their pressure on the Russian Federation that the latter will only feel more empowered to engage in violence.
I believe now is the appropriate time for the People’s Republic of China to demonstrate its global leadership by calling on the Russian Federation to cease hostilities and withdraw from Ukraine.
I am advised that this would be consistent with the 2013 PRC-Ukraine Treaty of Friendship & Cooperation, whose Articles 5, 6, and 7 describe China’s and Ukraine’s commitments to each other, including the unwavering support of China’s territorial integrity on behalf of Ukraine, and China’s support of Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
President Xi, speaking personally and frankly, of all the reasons I do not like Russia’s war in Ukraine it is because it suggests that war between countries is something that can still happen today. It would be my preference that all countries embrace peace. The Chinese, as paragon examples of peace, friendship, cooperation, and love in our common humanity, I believe can and should rise to the occasion to call for the cessation of hostilities.
While I worry that the Russians and Americans will not listen to each other, I am convinced that both of them would listen to China, and I also believe that China taking on this leadership role would be in the interest of both the Federated States of Micronesia and the global community of nations.
President Xi, I take this opportunity to first thank you for considering my request, and secondly to reaffirm our Nation’s firm and unwavering commitment to our Great Friendship.
