BEIJING, February 28. /TASS/. Chinese Special Representative for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui will visit Russia, Ukraine and several other European countries next month, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning announced.
"Starting from March 2, Special Representative of the Chinese Government for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui will visit Russia, the EU headquarters, Poland, Ukraine, Germany and France for the second round of shuttle diplomacy on seeking a political settlement to the Ukraine crisis," the Chinese diplomat said at a press conference.
With hostilities still ongoing in Ukraine two years after the conflict broke out, restoring peace is the most important thing now, Mao emphasized. "China maintains close communication with various parties to the conflict, including Russia and Ukraine, as it plays a constructive role, responding to the crisis," she said, adding that human losses could be reduced, "should peace talks start a day earlier."
Last year, China dispatched its special envoy on a European tour, Mao recounted. "China did not sit on its hands [doing nothing], nor has it added fuel to the fire or benefited from this [conflict]," the Chinese diplomat said. According to her, Beijing has been working toward reaching a consensus between the parties to end the hostilities and "paving the way for peace talks."
On May 15-26, 2023, Li visited Kiev, Warsaw, Paris, Berlin, Brussels and Moscow to discuss the Ukraine conflict. During that tour, he met with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and diplomats from the other countries, including Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Li served as China’s deputy foreign minister in 2008-2009 and from 2009 to 2019 he was China’s ambassador to Russia.