On Monday, a senior Chinese ambassador will visit Ukraine, Russia, and other European capitals to explore a “political settlement” to the Ukraine conflict.
The foreign ministry announced Friday that Li Hui, China’s special envoy for Eurasian issues and former ambassador to Russia, will also visit Poland, France, and Germany.
“The visit… is a testament to China’s efforts towards promoting peace talks, and fully demonstrates China’s firm commitment to peace,” foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a daily briefing.
He is the highest-ranking Chinese official to visit Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022, and his visit may coincide with Ukraine’s long-awaited counteroffensive to retake territory from Russia.
Two sources said Li’s journey would begin in Ukraine.
China’s foreign ministry did not immediately confirm the order of Li’s visits.
The visit follows Xi Jinping’s late April phone contact with Volodymyr Zelenskiy, their first since the war began.
Zelenskiy called the call “long and meaningful” on Twitter, while Xi said China would promote peace. However, given has been skeptical of Beijing’s peace efforts due to its links to Russia.
However, French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission Chief Ursula von der Leyen have pushed Xi to speak with Zelenskiy and take a more active role in regulating Moscow during a series of trips to the Chinese capital from March onward.
Beijing has backed a 12-point Ukraine political solution program since February.
China’s war plan was mostly repeated on the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion. It advised both parties to de-escalate gradually and not deploy nuclear weapons.
Kyiv has rejected any territorial concessions to Russia and wants all its land back. Since 2014, Russia has claimed to have annexed four more Ukrainian territories, calling them Russian soil.
China has avoided denouncing its strategic partner Moscow or calling its activities an “invasion” during the war, prompting European and American criticism of its legitimacy as a conflict broker.
Given Western unease over Xi’s March meeting with his “dear friend” Russian President Vladimir Putin and the two countries “no limits” partnership less than three weeks before the invasion, which Moscow called a “special military operation,” Li’s message will be closely scrutinized.
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