Ukraine war: China to send Russia hand Li Hui to Kyiv and Moscow on peace mission
- Li will also visit Poland, France and Germany in the search for a political solution to the conflict
- He will be the highest-ranking Chinese official to go to Ukraine since the invasion
China will be one of the few countries to send envoys to both sides of the conflict, while Li, a vice-ministerial level diplomat, will be the most senior Chinese official to set foot on Ukrainian soil since Russia mounted its invasion in February 2022.
“The visit of Chinese representatives to relevant countries is another demonstration of China’s commitment to promoting peace and talks. It fully demonstrates that China is firmly on the side of peace,” foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said, announcing the trip on Friday.
“The current crisis in Ukraine has been protracted, is escalating, and the spillover effect continues.
“China is willing to continue to play a constructive role in building more international consensus on a ceasefire, initiation of peace talks, and prevention of escalation of the situation ... to promote a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis.”