It's hardly surprising, and I think it's an honest attempt from China, especially after seeing that extended interview from that retired colonel.
They want peace, that is clear. They also don't want to antagonize Russia because they are their biggest neighbor. So they make statements stating they want peace, but don't use words that would piss off the Russians like Crimea, War, Donbass, Atrocities, etc.
It's like when the US invaded Iraq. Canada was against it, but they weren't about to start antagonizing the US with inflammatory speech, but it would have been warranted. What the US did in Iraq was criminal and did not have the backing of its Allies.
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