Chinese envoy "satisfies" Kiev before continuing European tour
China is pursuing a policy of appeasement. The Asian giant is working to de-escalate tensions in the international community and bring balance back. In addition to the diplomatic re-establishment between Saudi Arabia and Iran sponsored by Beijing, moves such as mediating a solution to the war between Ukraine and Russia have been added. Although it is not easy, Xi Jinping's side believes it can facilitate an agreement that will not, however, be based on the twelve points proposed a few months ago. What they do hope is to be able to bring positions closer together thanks to the tour of their envoy Liu Hui, who has begun in Kiev.
Ukraine, aware of China's weight on the international chessboard, saw this visit as a key chapter, although satisfaction was far from complete. The fact that Hui has been the Chinese ambassador to Russia does not sit well with Kiev, which fears mediation that is excessively favourable to the Kremlin's interests. Although Beijing claims to be seeking a 'political solution', it believes that such a solution might not respect some of the red lines set by the government of Volodymir Zelensky.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has issued a statement in which it assures that its minister Dmitro Kuleba "has stressed that Ukraine does not accept any proposal that implies the loss of its territories or the freezing of the conflict". They add that Kuleba "has informed the Chinese government's special envoy in detail about the principles of restoring a sustainable and just peace based on respect for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity". For the time being, though, China continues to keep its distance, refraining from condemning Moscow or talking about the war as the invasion it really is.
Liu Hui plans to visit Poland, France, Germany and Russia, where he will close a tour that will continue the good feeling that Ukraine was talking about after the phone call between Xi Jinping and Zelenski. The Ukrainian president assured that the conversation was a "strong impetus" in terms of the evolution of bilateral relations between Kiev and Beijing. In fact, on that day, Zelenski appointed an extraordinary ambassador, a post that no one had held for more than two years. He stressed, however, that this does not change the Ukrainian view of the Chinese proposal, which is also viewed with scepticism by NATO and the United States.
"Ukraine attaches great value to China's important role in international affairs as a permanent member of the UN Security Council," China said in the press release. They also reiterated a willingness for a ceasefire that would bring "all sides" to sit down and "create conditions" for "peace talks". The idea is that all the opinions gathered during their European tour will be passed on to Vladimir Putin. China's stance in recent months does not only affect Europe, but they are trying to rally as much support as possible, as shown by the summit being held in parallel with five Central Asian countries.
Xi Jinping is meeting today in the city of Xian with the leaders of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan, all former republics of the USSR. A meeting that some observers interpret as a counterpart to the G7 summit that will begin on Friday in Japan. The China summit is a meeting that, in addition to dealing fundamentally with security issues, will serve to strengthen relations with countries close to the Kremlin and to continue weaving an important network of partnerships that will consolidate the foundations of the long-awaited "Belt and Road" project - a new Silk Road -, which will further project China's influence.
