China’s special envoy for Eurasian affairs, Li Hui, visited Ukraine this week to continue calls for Kyiv and Moscow to engage in talks to end the ongoing conflict. Despite being a strategic ally of Russia, China has refrained from condemning Moscow’s invasion and instead positioned itself as a neutral mediator. Li is the highest-ranking Chinese official to visit Ukraine since the invasion in February 2022.
During his visit, Li met with Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and other officials, where he stated that “there is no panacea to resolve the crisis, and all parties need to start from themselves, build mutual trust and create conditions to stop the war and talk”. He also emphasized that China would “continue to provide assistance to Ukraine within its capabilities”.
Li’s visit was part of a European tour to promote Beijing’s proposals to end the conflict. In March, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, and in April, Xi spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky by phone. Western allies of Ukraine have criticized China for maintaining its strategic alliance with Russia despite Moscow’s deepening international isolation.
