Top Chinese envoy to visit Ukraine, Russia on 'peace' mission
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[May 15, 2023]
BEIJING (Reuters) -A top Chinese envoy will begin a tour
of Ukraine, Russia and other European countries on Monday in a trip
Beijing says is aimed at discussing a "political settlement" to the
Ukraine crisis.
Li Hui, China's special representative for Eurasian affairs and former
ambassador to Russia, will also visit Poland, France, Germany on the
multi-day trip, the foreign ministry announced Friday without providing
a detailed schedule.
He is the most senior Chinese official to visit Ukraine since Russia
invaded in February 2022, and his trip could coincide with the
beginnings of a long anticipated counteroffensive by Ukraine to
recapture territory seized by Russia.
Li will visit Ukraine on Tuesday and Wednesday, a Ukrainian government
official told Reuters on Monday, declining to provide further details. A
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said the specifics Li's itinerary
would be released in due course.
The visit comes weeks after Chinese President Xi Jinping held a phone
call with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy in late April,
in the first talks between the two leaders since the war began.
Zelenskiy described the call as "long and meaningful" on Twitter, while
Xi said China would focus on promoting peace, although Beijing's
proposals to end the conflict have been met with some skepticism in the
West given its ties with Russia.
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However, several European leaders, including French President Emmanuel
Macron and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, have urged Xi
to speak with Zelenskiy and play a more active role in restraining
Moscow's actions during a string of visits to the Chinese capital from
March onwards.
Since February, Beijing has heavily promoted a 12-point proposal for a
political settlement of the Ukraine crisis.
But the plan, launched on the first anniversary of Russia's invasion,
was largely a reiteration of China's previous lines on the war. It urged
both sides to agree to a gradual de-escalation and warned against the
use of nuclear weapons.
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![](../images/051523PIX/news_p85.jpg)
Li Hui, China's special
representative for Eurasian affairs, (R) sat with Russian Prime
Minister Dmitry Medvedev (L) during his time as ambassador to
Moscow. Moscow, Russia, June 29, 2015. REUTERS/Dmitry Astakhov/RIA
Novosti/Pool
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"This visit is a very good (opportunity) to promote communication
and dialogue with all parties, and make clear all parties' bottom
lines," said Wang Huiyao, president of the Center for China and
Globalization thinktank in Beijing.
Kyiv has ruled out the idea of any territorial concessions to Russia
and has said it wants every inch of its land back. Russia annexed
the Crimean peninsula in 2014 and since last year has claimed to
have annexed four other Ukrainian regions, which Moscow now calls
Russian land.
Throughout the war, China has refrained from condemning its
strategic ally Moscow or referring to its actions as an "invasion",
leading to criticism from European countries and the United States
which have questioned China's credibility as a potential broker in
the conflict.
Whatever message Li delivers will be carefully scrutinised given the
unease among Western nations over Xi's meeting with his "dear
friend" Russian President Vladimir Putin in March, and the two
countries' commitment to a "no limits" partnership less than three
weeks before the invasion, which Moscow called a "special military
operation".
(Reporting by Laurie Chen; Additional reporting by Andrew Hayley in
Beijing and Thomas Balmforth in London; Editing by Simon
Cameron-Moore)
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