Share
Copied
Chinese Special Envoy for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui gives a press briefing in Beijing. /Thomas Peter/Reuters
China is willing to consider sending another delegation to Europe to help promote a peace settlement for the Ukraine crisis, its special envoy for Eurasian affairs Li Hui has announced.
Li told a news conference that his trip to Europe last month, the first high-profile Chinese visit to encourage a political settlement to the crisis, would not necessarily lead to an immediate outcome.
"We felt that there is a big gap between both sides' positions," he said of Russia and Ukraine.
However, he added that neither Ukraine nor Russia had "firmly" shut the door to talks, despite difficulties in getting negotiations going now.
In May, Li completed a 12-day tour of Kyiv, Warsaw, Paris, Berlin, Brussels and Moscow in a bid to find common ground for an eventual political settlement of the conflict. He said the risk of escalation was "still high", adding that all sides must take concrete measures to "cool down the situation" and ensure the safety of nuclear facilities.
"As long as it's conducive to easing the situation, China is willing to do anything," he said.
Li, ambassador to Russia from 2009 to 2019, is the most senior Chinese official to visit Ukraine since February 2022. His trip came ahead of an expected counteroffensive by Ukraine to recapture territory controlled by Russia.
The Kremlin has said Russia is open to negotiations to end the conflict, while Ukraine says Russian troops must leave its territory – including the four regions Russia has claimed and the Crimean peninsula – before a peace plan can be discussed.
Subscribe to Storyboard: A weekly newsletter bringing you the best of CGTN every Friday
Search Trends
SITEMAP
Copyright © 2023 CGTN. 京ICP备16065310号
Disinformation report hotline: 010-85061466
SITEMAP
Copyright © 2023 CGTN. 京ICP备16065310号
Disinformation report hotline: 010-85061466