China to send special envoy to Russia, Ukraine, other nations to broker peace talks

A special envoy is being sent by China to Russia and Ukraine next week with an aim to finalise a political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis, stated its foreign ministry on Friday.

China’s special representative for Eurasian affairs and former ambassador to Moscow, Li Hui, will also visit France, Germany and Poland, said the foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin.

China stated that the government remains neutral in the Russia-Ukraine war but has declared that it shares a ”no limits” relationship with Moscow. China also blamesNATO and the United States for provoking the conflict.

A peace plan has been put forward by Beijing for Ukraine that has been largely dismissed by the supporters of the country who state that a resolution can only be reached when Russia ceases its attacks and its troops pullback from the Ukrainian territory.

Last month, Chinese leader Xi Jinping spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over the phone, establishing the stage for the diplomatic push.

“The visit of the Chinese representative to relevant countries expresses China’s commitment to promoting peace and negotiations,” Wang stated at a daily briefing on Friday.

China wishes to prevent an “escalation of the situation,” Wang added. The visit of Li will start next week but the officials have not released details of hisschedule.

Previously, Beijing has avoided its involvement in conflicts with other countries but it appears the South Asian country is trying to project itself as a global diplomatic force after it worked as a mediator in talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia in March and arranged talks between the two nations which culminated in the restoration of diplomatic relations after a seven-year break.

China shares friendly ties with Moscow and the nation is also the biggest buyer of Russian gas and oil after the United States and its allies ended most purchases.

China, which considers Russia as a diplomatic partner in opposing the domination of the United States over global affairs, has not criticised Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and has exploited its status as the permanent UN Security Council member to deflect diplomatic attacks made on Russia.

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Wang further confirmed that Wang Yi, the top diplomat of the ruling Communist Party, held talks with US national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Wednesday and Thursday in Vienna, Austria. Wang stated that the two nations had “candid, in-depth, substantive, and constructive discussions” on improving and stabilising bilateral relations.

The relations between China and the United States have hit a historical low, and nosedived further in February after a suspected Chinese spy balloon was shot down by the US when it was spotted flying across the United States and Canada. Because of the incident, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to Beijing was postponed and has till now not been rescheduled.

(With inputs from agencies)

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