As China’s special envoy Li Hui arrives on Ukraine peace mission, observers call for cautious optimism

Kyiv is the first stop on Chinese special representative for Eurasian affairs’ five-nation European tour, which will also take him to Russia

While both China and the EU want the war to end, asking Russia to ‘suddenly withdraw all troops’ will be unrealistic, Renmin University professor says

Reading Time:3 minutes

99+

Li Hui, China’s special representative on Eurasian affairs, will also be visiting Poland, France, Germany and Russia. Photo: Weibo

Published: 12:00am, 17 May 2023Updated: 12:48am, 17 May 2023

Chinese special envoy Li Hui was due to arrive in Ukraine for a two-day visit on Tuesday, in a peacemaking effort welcomed by the European Union.

Observers, however, cautioned against setting expectations too high.

The Ukrainian capital is the first stop on a five-nation European tour that will also take Li to Poland, France, Germany and Russia, as he works on a “political settlement” to the crisis sparked by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, according to the Chinese foreign ministry.

While no further official details were provided, Reuters reported that the Chinese special representative for Eurasian affairs would be in Kyiv on Tuesday and Wednesday, citing a Ukrainian government source.

Li’s visit comes three weeks after Chinese President Xi Jinping promised Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky that he would send a special envoy to Kyiv, as they spoke for the first time since the Russian invasion.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the phone call with Beijing. Photo: EPA-EFE

Ahead of Li’s visit, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stressed that Ukraine should set out the core principles for any solution, saying “there is a proposal on the table”.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x