BEIJING 12 May (Online): China will send a special envoy to Ukraine, Russia and other European nations from Monday, Beijing said on Friday, the highest-ranking Chinese diplomat to visit the war-torn country since Moscow\u2019s invasion last year.<\/p>\n
From Ukraine to the Middle East, Beijing in recent months has sought to position itself as a mediator with a leading role in solving the world\u2019s crises.<\/p>\n
But while China says it is a neutral party on the Ukraine war, it has been criticized for refusing to condemn Moscow for the invasion.<\/p>\n
More than a year into the war, Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky by phone last month.<\/p>\n
Beijing then announced that Li Hui \u2014 China\u2019s ambassador to Russia from 2009 to 2019 \u2014 would lead a delegation to Ukraine.<\/p>\n
China\u2019s foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a regular press conference Friday that the aim of Li\u2019s trip to Ukraine, Poland, France, Germany and Russia was to \u201ccommunicate with all parties on the political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n
Li\u2019s tour showed China\u2019s \u201ccommitment to promoting peace and talks,\u201d Wang said. \u201cIt fully shows that China firmly stands on the side of peace.<\/p>\n
\u201cChina is willing to continue to play a constructive role in building more international consensus on the cease-fire, the cessation of war, the opening of peace talks, and the avoidance of escalation of the situation,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Qin Gang, China\u2019s foreign minister who is currently in Norway, said of Li\u2019s visit: \u201cWe all worry about the situation and we all call for peace and a political solution, which China stands for and has been calling for since day one of the outbreak of the conflict.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the choice of Li, the special representative of the Chinese government for Eurasian Affairs, has raised eyebrows.<\/p>\n
Shortly before leaving Moscow as ambassador, he was awarded the Order of Friendship medal by President Vladimir Putin.<\/p>\n
Xi\u2019s phone call with Zelensky, described by the Ukrainian president as \u201clong and meaningful,\u201d follows Beijing\u2019s publication in February of a 12-point position paper on Ukraine, which called for dialogue and respect for all countries\u2019 territorial sovereignty.<\/p>\n
The paper was panned by Western countries for its vague wording, though it prompted Zelensky to say he would be open to talks with Xi.<\/p>\n
Its first point was that \u201cthe sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries must be effectively upheld.\u201d<\/p>\n
But China has consistently refused to expand upon how that relates to the specifics of the Ukraine war.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BEIJING 12 May (Online): China will send a special envoy to Ukraine, Russia and other European nations from Monday, Beijing said on Friday, the highest-ranking Chinese diplomat to visit the war-torn country since Moscow\u2019s invasion last year. From Ukraine to the Middle East, Beijing in […]<\/p>\n
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