A Chinese government envoy will depart this Monday on a trip that includes visits to Ukraine and Russia as part of Beijing’s efforts to reach a political agreement to end the war, which has been going on for 15 months .
China has said it is neutral in the conflict and wants to play a mediating role, but maintains a “borderless” relationship with Russia and has refused to criticize the invasion of Ukraine.
Beijing unveiled a peace plan in February that was widely rejected by Ukraine’s allies, who insisted that Russian troops must first withdraw from Ukrainian territory.
Li Hui, a former ambassador to Moscow, will also visit Poland, France and Germany, China’s foreign ministry said, which did not provide further details on the schedule.
Political analysts consider the chances of a peace agreement small, as neither Ukraine nor Russia are prepared to end the fight. Analysts say that by deploying an envoy, China is trying to defuse criticism of Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s proximity and alienate Washington’s European allies.
Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke by phone with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in late April, paving the way for a diplomatic move.
The Beijing envoy’s tour “demonstrates China’s commitment to advancing peace and negotiations,” foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said. Wang said China wanted to avoid “an escalation of the situation”.
Several European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, European Commission leader Ursula von der Leyen and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, have visited Beijing in the past two months to encourage China to join forces with Moscow to further its influence. turn to end the conflict.
Xi Jinping calls for a greater role for China in solving international problems, in line with the country’s economic and military rise. In particular, the Chinese leader proposed the Global Security Initiative, which aims to build a “balanced, effective and sustainable global and regional security architecture” by “unleashing Western geopolitical security theories.”
In a triumph for Xi, Iran and Saudi Arabia announced an agreement in Beijing last March to restore diplomatic ties broken by Riyadh in 2016.
China maintains good relations with Moscow and has economic clout as it is the largest consumer of Russian oil and gas.
China sees its partnership with Russia as fundamental to opposing the liberal democratic order, at a time when its relationship with the United States is also going through a period of great tension, characterized by disputes over trade and technology or disputes over rights issues. the status of Hong Kong or Taiwan, and the sovereignty of the South and East China Seas.
Beijing has used its position as one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council to block diplomatic attacks on Russia.
Source: DN
