In phone call with Zelensky, president reiterates need for political settlement to end Russia conflict 

China will send a special representative on Eurasian affairs to visit Ukraine and other countries to conduct in-depth communications with all parties on political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, President Xi Jinping said on April 26, reiterating that dialogue and negotiations are the only viable way out of the crisis.

Xi made the remarks in a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The two leaders exchanged views on bilateral ties and the Ukraine crisis.

Xi said the complex evolution of the Ukraine crisis has had a major impact on the international landscape. Regarding the crisis, China has always stood on the side of peace, and its core position is to promote peace through talks, he said.

China did not create the Ukraine crisis, nor is it a party to the crisis, Xi said. As a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and a responsible major country, China would not sit idly by, add oil to the fire or exploit the situation for self-gain, he said.

Everything China does is aboveboard, Xi told Zelensky.

Noting that there would be no winner in a nuclear war, Xi said that all parties must stay calm and exercise restraint, act in the interests of their own future and that of humanity, and jointly manage the crisis.

With rational thinking and voices now on the rise, Xi stressed the need to seize the opportunity to build favorable conditions for a political settlement of the crisis.

Xi reiterated that China remains committed to facilitating peace talks and that it will make efforts for an early cease-fire and restoration of peace.

China has sent multiple shipments of humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and will continue providing help to the best of its ability, he added.

In February, Beijing issued a position paper on political settlement of the Ukraine crisis. Xi has on many occasions emphasized facilitating peace talks to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, including during his meetings with foreign leaders who have visited China in recent months. That included French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

On bilateral ties, Xi said that China-Ukraine relations, after 31 years of development, have reached a level of strategic partnership, boosting development and revitalization of the two countries.

Xi commended Zelensky for stating, on multiple occasions, the importance the Ukrainian leader attaches to developing the bilateral relationship with China and advancing cooperation, and he thanked the Ukrainian side for its strong assistance in the evacuation of Chinese nationals last year.

Mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity is the political foundation of China-Ukraine relations, he said.

No matter how the international situation evolves, China will work with Ukraine to advance mutually beneficial cooperation, Xi said.

Zelensky said that China upholds the purposes and principles of the UN Charter in international affairs and has significant influence on the international stage.

Ukraine is committed to the one-China policy and hopes to advance all-around bilateral cooperation with China, open a new chapter in Ukraine-China relations and jointly safeguard world peace and stability, he said.

Zelensky thanked China for providing humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and welcomed China’s important role in restoring peace.

Zelensky named a former cabinet minister as Ukraine’s new ambassador to Beijing, Reuters reported.

The phone call between the heads of states of China and Ukraine and Beijing’s plan to send a special envoy to countries, including Ukraine, for mediation quickly became the central topic on April 26 at a special briefing for reporters at the Foreign Ministry in Beijing.

The conversation took place as the Ukraine crisis continues amid countries’ call for calm and reason to prevail, one of the core ideas of the China-led Global Security Initiative, observers said.

China has been promoting peace talks “in a constructive, impartial manner as a responsible major country and a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council”, said Yu Jun, deputy director-general of the Foreign Ministry’s Department of European-Central Asian Affairs.

China-Ukraine ties have grown steadily, and since 2019 China has been Ukraine’s largest trade partner for four consecutive years, he noted.

Beijing’s special envoy for the mediation process, which will take place in the near future, is Li Hui, the Chinese government’s special representative on Eurasian affairs, Yu confirmed, adding that further information about the trip will be released later.

“China has maintained contact with parties, including Ukraine, since the outbreak of the crisis,” Yu said, adding that all parties are expected to reflect on the situation and seek a new way for lasting peace in Europe.

Da Wei, professor and director of the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University, said that “China is playing an irreplaceable role some nations have failed to achieve”.

“The United States and some other Western countries have perceived the crisis as a confrontation between two blocs, and they labeled China as part of one of the blocs”, which “added difficulty to China’s communication” with parties concerned, he said.

Sun Zhuangzhi, director of the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the planned trip underlines the value that Beijing places on political settlement of the crisis and “the necessity and importance of communication”. It also echoes the concerns of the international community and rising calls for a cease-fire.

“Complex issues can only be settled when various parties have fully expressed their opinions and reached a consensus,” he said.

Li Yongquan, head of the China Society for Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies, said that “any moment is the best moment for facilitating peace talks”.

“As the crisis lingers, there will be more casualties, economic recession, and there will be greater threats to security in Europe and the Eurasian region,” he said.

Contact the writers at caodesheng@chinadaily.com.cn