China to send envoys to Ukraine and Russia starting next week to help reach political settlement
Published Date – Fri, 5/12/23 at 11:59pm
Beijing: China will start sending envoys to Ukraine and Russia next week to help reach a political solution to the Ukraine crisis, China’s foreign ministry said on Friday.
Li Hui, China’s special representative for Eurasian affairs and former ambassador to Moscow, will also visit Poland, France and Germany, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said.
China says it remains neutral on Russia’s war in Ukraine but has declared “no limits” to relations with Moscow and has accused the United States and NATO of provoking the conflict.
Beijing has proposed a peace plan for Ukraine that has been largely opposed by the country’s supporters, who say a resolution can only be reached if Russia stops its attacks and withdraws its troops from Ukrainian territory.
Chinese President Xi Jinping had a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last month, laying the groundwork for the diplomatic effort.
“The visit of Chinese representatives to relevant countries expresses China’s commitment to promoting peace talks,” Wang Yi said at his daily news conference on Friday.
Wang said China wanted to prevent “an escalation of the situation”.
Lee’s visit will begin next week, but his detailed timetable has not yet been released.
Beijing has previously avoided getting drawn into conflicts between other countries, but appears to be trying
It asserted itself as a global diplomatic force after arranging talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran in March led to their restoration of diplomatic ties after a seven-year hiatus.
China has friendly relations with Moscow and has economic clout as the biggest buyer of Russian oil and gas after the U.S. and its allies cut off most purchases.
Beijing, which sees Moscow as a diplomatic partner against U.S. dominance of global affairs, has refused to criticize the invasion and has used its status as one of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council to deflect diplomatic attacks on Russia.
Wang also confirmed that Wang Yi, the ruling Communist Party’s top diplomat, and U.S. national security adviser Jack Sullivan held talks in Vienna, Austria, on Wednesday and Thursday. Wang Yi said the two sides had “candid, in-depth, substantive and constructive discussions” on stabilizing and improving bilateral relations.
U.S.-China relations are at an all-time low and took a turn for the worse in February after the U.S. shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon that flew over Canada and the United States. The incident caused US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s visit to Beijing to be postponed and has not yet been rescheduled.
