A Chinese government envoy will visit Ukraine and Russia next week to try to negotiate an end to the war, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Friday (May 12th). Beijing’s special representative for Eurasian Affairs will also visit Poland, France and Germany.
With our correspondent in Beijing,
Beijing did not provide details about Li Hui’s program in Ukraine and Russia, or the interlocutors he will meet. And the Tass agency this Friday that no meeting had yet been fixed on the Russian side.
What we do know is that this trip by the Chinese government’s special representative for Eurasian Affairs will begin in Kiev on Monday May 15 and will end in Moscow, with a stopover in Warsaw, Paris and Berlin.
A journey that was initiated last month following a phone call between Ukrainian and Chinese presidents with the aim of ” conduct thorough consultations with all parties “. Wang Wenbin, one of the spokespersons for Chinese diplomacy, explained to the press on Friday: “ The Chinese representative’s visit to the relevant countries is another demonstration of China’s commitment to promoting peace and the talks. This fully shows that China is firmly on the side of peace as the crisis in Ukraine drags on, and the ripple effect continues. »
Crisis rather than war. Beijing, which has never described Russian aggression as an invasion, says it is neutral on the conflict, despite its proximity to Moscow.
A Putin “medalist”
It will be the highest Chinese representative to visit Ukraine since its invasion by Russia. Li Hui is now the Chinese government’s special representative for Eurasian Affairs and was ambassador to Moscow.
Li Hui is known to chancelleries as responsible for European and Central Asian issues. Above all, he is familiar with the Kremlin and has a long personal history with Russia.
Beijing’s special representative has been stationed in Moscow for ten years as China’s ambassador. This earned him, at the end of his mission in 2019, a “medal of friendship” awarded by President Vladimir Putin.
Ukraine, Poland, France, Germany and Russia… During this trip to five European capitals, Li Hui is responsible for carrying out “ extensive consultations with all parties “. It should also reaffirm on this occasion the China’s principled position for a “political settlement » of the Russian war against Ukraine. The Chinese position in 12 pointspublished last February, raised many doubts among Westerners, knowing the proximity between Beijing and Moscow.
Since then, the Europeans – and again France on Thursday, through the voice of its Minister of Foreign Affairs – have affirmed that the Chinese authorities were the best placed to contribute to the peace efforts. China being one of the few countries to send its envoys to both sides.