China's Ukraine peace envoy to make second visit to Europe and Russia to promote talks

China is sending its special peace envoy to Russia and Ukraine for a second peace mission after a fruitless effort last year.

Li Hui will visit Russia and Ukraine, as well as France, Germany and the European Union headquarters in Brussels to promote efforts to reach a diplomatic solution, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

"The most urgent thing at present is to restore peace," ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said, adding that the sooner talks opened, the more lives could be saved.

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"Over the past two years China has never given up its efforts to pursue peace and has never stopped promoting talks. China has communicated deeply with all countries, including Russia and Ukraine, and played a constructive role in addressing the crisis."

It will be Li's second visit to the region following a visit in May last year, soon after he was appointed to head China's peacemaking efforts.

He later admitted it had produced no immediate progress because of "a big gap between both sides' positions".

More than two years since Russia invaded, there is no sign of an end to a war that has killed tens of thousands of people.

The counter offensive Ukraine launched last year has stalled and Russia recently retook Avdiivka after heavy fighting forced its defenders to withdraw.

On Tuesday, the Kremlin warned that a ground intervention by any Nato country would lead to a direct clash with Russian forces, after French President Emmanuel Macron floated the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine.

"This is of course not in the interest of these countries," Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said in Moscow.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that Russia was preparing a new offensive against Ukraine, which could begin at the beginning of the summer.

He also warned that March and April would be difficult months for his country due to the "instability in the United States that may affect other countries".

He is currently trying to convince Republicans in Congress to unblock a proposed aid package for Ukraine.

Since the war started two years ago, Beijing has portrayed itself as a neutral mediator, but its deepening "no-limits" strategic partnership with Moscow has prompted intense scepticism in the US and Europe.

Russia has been hit by extensive Western sanctions since it launched its invasion and the most recent EU sanctions package included, for the first time, three mainland Chinese companies that were accused of helping Moscow get round the penalties.

Beijing denied the allegations and has said that the sanction "violates the consensus and spirit" of a December summit between President Xi Jiping and EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen. It warned they would have a "negative impact" on trade and economic relations between the bloc and China.

Meanwhile, China is steadily pushing forward its ties with Russia - foreign vice-minister Sun Weidong visited Moscow this week, where the two sides pledged to "further high-level exchanges, strengthen political and strategic mutual trust, push forward comprehensive strategic coordination and deepen practical cooperation in all areas".

Since the war started, Xi has had one telephone call with Zelensky, which took place just before Li's first mission began.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

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