China Will Send an Envoy to Russia and Ukraine to Help Negotiate an End to the War

Chinese government envoys will visit Ukraine and Russia next week to try to help negotiate an end to the war, a Chinese government spokesman said on Friday.

China has announced its intention to send an official, Li Hui – the government’s special representative for Eurasian affairs – after a phone call last month between its supreme leader, Xi Jinping, and Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky. Beijing has said Mr. Li will “engage in in-depth communication with all parties” to try to reach a “political settlement.”

Beijing has tried to position itself as a potential peace broker in the war, especially as Mr. Xi casts himself as a global statesman and China as an alternative to the United States for global leadership. In February, China published what it described as a 12-point peace plan for Ukraine, although Western officials criticized it for lacking substance.

Still, since the war broke out in February 2022, many in the West have considered the role China could play. Kyiv has portrayed China, which has a close partnership with Russia, as the only country with enough influence to persuade Russian President Vladimir V. Putin to end the war. But the close ties between Moscow and Beijing have also raised concerns in Europe and the United States that China may act to help Russia fight.

Mr. Li, the special representative, has a long history of his own in Russia: He served as China’s ambassador there for 10 years, and in 2019, Mr. Putin presented him with the “Medal of Friendship”.

Beijing has few details about what Mr. Li will do in Ukraine and Russia or who he will meet. The trip will begin on Monday, and Mr. Li will also visit France, Germany and Poland, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a regularly scheduled briefing.

In response, the Chinese government said it was neutral in the conflict, although it did not want to call Russia’s actions an invasion.

“This is another demonstration of China’s commitment to promoting and urging peace talks,” he said of Mr Li’s trip. “The international community’s calls for a ceasefire and an end to the war are getting louder and louder, and China is willing to play a constructive role.”