Chinese Special Envoys To Visit Russia And Ukraine, Foreign Minister Qin Gang: We Are Worried About The Current Situation

JAKARTA - If nothing goes wrong, China's special envoy will visit a number of European countries, including Russia and Ukraine, starting Monday next week, the country's top diplomats since the Kyiv and Moscow wars broke out, Beijing said in Friday's statement.

From Ukraine to the Middle East, Beijing has in recent months been trying to position itself as a mediator with a major role in solving world crises.

In its announcement, Beijing said, Li Hui - China's ambassador to Russia from 2009 to 2019 - would lead a delegation to Ukraine.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at Friday's regular press conference Li's trip to Ukraine, Poland, France, Germany and Russia to "communicate with all parties in resolving Ukraine's crisis politics".

Li's visit demonstrates "China's commitment to promoting peace and talks. It fully shows that China firmly stands on the side of peace," Wang said, launching CNA May 12.

"China is willing to continue to play a constructive role in building more international consensus on ceasefire, stop-of-war, open peace negotiations and avoid the escalation of the situation," he added.

Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang who is currently in Norway, said: "We are all concerned about this situation and we are all calling for peace and a political solution, for which China supports and has called for it since the first day of the conflict breaking."

However, Li's election, a special representative of the Chinese government for Eurasian Affairs, has surprised many people. Shortly before leaving Moscow as ambassador, he was awarded the 'Order of Friendship' medal by President Vladimir Putin.

More than a year after the war, Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky by telephone last month. It was seen as "long and meaningful", following a 12-point proposal from Beijing on the Ukraine conflict, calling for dialogue and respect for territorial sovereignty of all countries.

Despite being criticized by Western countries, the proposal prompted President Zelensky to say it was open to talks with President Xi.

Despite saying they were neutral parties in Ukraine's war, China was criticized for refusing to condemn Moscow for the invasion.