The draft resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Ukraine crisis does not highlight the importance of the principle of indivisible security or the urgency of promoting political settlement and stepping up diplomatic efforts, which is inconsistent with China's position on the issue, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin at a regular media briefing on Thursday, explaining why China had to abstain from voting.

The resolution, adopted on Wednesday, demands that Russia "immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders."

"Any action by the UN and the relevant parties should give priority to regional peace and stability and the universal security of all parties, and should play a positive role for de-escalation and diplomatic solutions," Wang said.

The draft resolution did not undergo "full consultations within the whole membership" of the UN and did not taken into complete consideration the "history and complexity" of the crisis, he said. 

China's stance on Ukraine-Russian tensions is consistent, transparent and open, the spokesperson reiterated.

"We have long held the basic position of respecting all countries' sovereignty and territory integrity, and abiding by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter," Wang said.

The most important issue now is to exercise restraint to avoid further escalation of tensions and oppose actions that hype up war, he said.