A Chinese special envoy will visit Ukraine and Russia this week to help find a political solution to the Ukrainian crisis, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in Beijing.
Special Representative for Eurasian Affairs and former Chinese Ambassador to Moscow Li Hui will also visit Poland, France and Germany, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said.
China has declared its neutrality in the Russian war in Ukraine. At the same time, Beijing spoke of “borderless” relations with Moscow and accused the United States and NATO of provoking the conflict.
Beijing has offered a peace plan for Ukraine that has been widely rejected by Kiev supporters, who say a settlement is only possible when Russia stops its attacks and withdraws its troops from Ukrainian territory.
In April, Chinese leader Xi Jinping had a phone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, laying the groundwork for diplomatic efforts.
“The visit of Chinese representatives to relevant countries reflects China’s commitment to promoting peace and negotiations,” Wang Wenbing said at the conference.
China wants to prevent “an escalation of the situation”, he added.
A detailed schedule of Li Hui’s visits has not yet been made public.
Beijing has previously avoided intervening in other countries’ conflicts, but appears to be trying to establish itself as a global diplomatic force.
China enjoys friendly relations with Moscow and has economic leverage over it, having become the biggest buyer of Russian oil and gas after the United States and its allies withdrew most of their purchases.
Beijing, which views Moscow as a diplomatic partner in resisting US domination in global affairs, has refused to condemn the invasion and has used its status as a permanent member of the UN Security Council to mitigate diplomatic attacks on the country. Russia.
Wang Wenbin also confirmed that CCP chief diplomat Wang Yi and national security adviser Jake Sullivan held talks Wednesday and Thursday in Vienna.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the parties had “frank, deep, meaningful and constructive discussions” on stabilizing and improving bilateral relations.
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