China: A top Chinese envoy will begin a tour of Ukraine, Russia, and other European cities in a trip Beijing says is aimed at discussing a “political settlement” to the Ukraine crisis.

According to the country’s foreign ministry, Mr. Li Hui, China’s special representative for Eurasian affairs and former ambassador to Russia, will also visit Poland, France, and Germany on the multi-day trip.

The visit comes after a significant phone call between Ukrainian President Mr. Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Chinese President Mr. Xi Jinping. The conversation marks the first known wartime call between the two leaders. Mr. Xi Jinping emphasised China’s position to promote peace through dialogue and diplomacy.

On the first anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, China released a 12-point proposal for peace, named China’s Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis. The proposal urged both sides to agree to a gradual de-escalation and abandon the “Cold War mentality”. Western nations, however, have met the proposal with scepticism, given China’s close ties with Russia.

Mr. Li has spent his entire diplomatic career dealing with the Soviet Union, Russia, and the states that emerged following its fall since joining the foreign ministry’s Department of Soviet and East European Affairs in 1975.

Since the Xi-Zelenskyy call, several European leaders, including French President Mr. Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Mr. Ursula von der Leyen, have travelled to Beijing and urged China to play a more active role in restraining Moscow’s actions.

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