For the first time since the beginning of the war, China is sending a senior diplomat to Ukraine for talks. The Beijing Foreign Ministry announced today that Eurasia Affairs Special Envoy Li Hui will visit Ukraine, Poland, Germany, France and Russia starting Monday to discuss a political settlement to the conflict.
Head of state and party leader Xi Jinping announced the visit of the special envoy in a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky two weeks ago. A date was not yet known.
A Chinese representative’s visit to relevant countries shows China’s commitment to promoting peace and talks, a spokesman for Beijing’s foreign ministry said.
Since the conflict began more than a year ago, Beijing has repeatedly emphasized its commitment to negotiations. However, China is backing Russian President Vladimir Putin, drawing much international criticism for the Chinese leadership. While Xi spoke to Putin several times and was only in Moscow in March, there has only been one phone call with Zelenskyy so far.
