BEIJING - China’s special envoy for Eurasian affairs Li Hui on Friday said the door to peace talks between Russia and Ukraine is not closed, even though it may appear difficult now to bring both sides to the table.
Briefing the media about his recent 12-day European tour that was billed by Beijing as a bid to find common ground for a potential political settlement, Mr Li said there appeared to be support from both sides and their European neighbours.
“There may be many difficulties for all parties to sit down and negotiate now, but it is not that there is no consensus,” he said, adding that the “two sides have not closed the door on peace talks”.
China is willing to play an active role in a peaceful solution, said Mr Li. The former long-time ambassador to Moscow added that while his trip was the first for a Chinese special envoy, Beijing does not rule out sending another delegation to Europe for peace talks at some point in the future.
“As long as it is conducive to easing the situation and promoting negotiations, China is willing to do it,” he said.
The risk of escalation in the Russia-Ukraine war remains very high, he noted, as he urged all sides to take steps to “cool down” the situation.
Mr Li’s trip in May saw him visiting Ukraine, Poland, France, Germany, Belgium – the headquarters of the European Union and Nato – and Russia.
The trip was not meant to yield immediate solutions, but rather a first step in trying to find commonality to lay the groundwork for the peace process, he said.
The United States and some European countries have urged China to leverage its close ties with Russia to push for an end to the crisis, but Beijing’s reluctance to condemn Moscow – Chinese officials still refer to the war as the “Ukrainian crisis” – has led to reservations in several capitals.
China has consistently said that the conflict has complex historical and contemporary causes, but is also the result of a failure in Europe’s security governance.
“When I met my European counterparts... (I said) there should be deep reflection about how the region walked into this crisis,” he said.
Mr Li also used the briefing to hit back at a recent media report that said he had pushed for a ceasefire that would leave Russia holding on to occupied territory.
“(Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba) personally made a clarification, which shows that the fabricated report... is not only completely inconsistent with the facts, but also unpopular,” he said, accusing the article of fanning tensions between Beijing and Kyiv.
But when asked twice more about what China thinks should be done with occupied territories following a ceasefire, Mr Li danced around the issue and referred to Beijing’s 12-point peace plan put out in February.
China had issued the plan on the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It calls for the protection of civilians, and for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations to be respected.
