Chinese President Xi Jinping and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had their first phone call on April 26 since fighting broke out in the Eastern European country.
According to the People's Daily, the official mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party, Xi told Zelensky that China did not create the crisis in Ukraine, nor is it a party to the crisis. He affirmed that as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and a responsible major country, China will not stand idly by, will not add fuel to the fire, and will not take advantage of the situation for personal gain.
“The only way out”
Everything China does is straightforward, Xi said in the phone call, reiterating that China remains committed to facilitating peace talks and will work toward an early ceasefire and restoration of peace.
According to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, Mr Xi told Mr Zelensky that “dialogue and negotiation” was the “only way out” of the crisis.
“On the issue of the Ukraine crisis, China has always stood on the side of peace and Beijing's core stance is to promote peaceful negotiations,” CCTV quoted Xi as saying.
Xi Jinping said during the phone call that China will send a special representative of the Chinese government for Eurasian affairs to Ukraine and other countries to conduct in-depth exchanges with all parties on the political solution to the Ukraine crisis, according to Xinhua.
A photo of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, April 26, 2023. Photo: SCMP
According to the Global Times - a tabloid run by the People's Daily, during the talks, Mr. Zelensky congratulated President Xi on his re-election and praised China for its remarkable achievements.
The Ukrainian leader expressed confidence that under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, China will successfully address various challenges and continue to move forward. China upholds the purposes and principles of the United Nations (UN) Charter in international affairs and has considerable influence on the international arena.
The Ukrainian side is committed to the one-China policy and hopes to promote comprehensive bilateral cooperation with China, open a new chapter in Ukraine-China relations and jointly safeguard world peace and stability, Zelensky said.
In addition, President Zelensky also shared his views on the current situation in Ukraine with President Xi. He thanked China for its humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and welcomed China's important role in restoring peace and finding a diplomatic solution to the crisis.
After a phone call on April 26, Mr. Zelensky appointed Mr. Pavel Ryabikin, who previously headed Ukraine’s Ministry of Strategic Industries, as Kiev’s new special envoy to China, according to a decree on the Ukrainian president’s website. The Eastern European country has been without an ambassador to China since February 2021.
Mediator
Chinese analysts say the country will be more involved on the diplomatic front to help find a political solution to the crisis in Ukraine, and the role Beijing could play has been warmly welcomed by both Kiev and Moscow, despite some other voices in the West.
Wang Xiaoquan, an expert from the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on April 26 that the phone call at Ukraine's invitation showed that the Eastern European country attaches great importance to its relationship with China and recognizes Beijing's key role in resolving the conflict.
“China has become an influential mediator recognized by Ukraine and Russia as well as France and Germany, which means China's stance on the crisis is fair and objective and China is a responsible power that does not seek personal gain,” Wang noted.
Diplomacy between heads of state is a way to open a channel for dialogue, create an atmosphere and then set the direction, but there are still many specific issues that need to be resolved, such as the role of the Chinese Special Envoy for Eurasian Affairs, Cui Hongjian, director of the Department of European Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on April 26.
The Chinese envoy will address the issue in this way, and this will give Beijing a more concrete and comprehensive understanding of the situation, helping Beijing better push for political solutions, Cui noted. “I think there will be more concrete measures in the future plan,” he said.
Chinese Foreign Ministry officials in Beijing after a press conference on a phone call between President Xi Jinping and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on April 26, 2023. According to the ministry, the special envoy Beijing will send to Ukraine is Li Hui, the Chinese government's special representative for Eurasian affairs. Li served as China's ambassador to Russia from 2009 to 2019. Photo: Getty Images
In March, China successfully mediated tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran, brokering a deal between the two formerly hostile Middle Eastern nations that allowed for the resumption of bilateral diplomatic relations.
In February, as the Russia-Ukraine military conflict marked the one-year mark, China released a 12-point document titled “China’s Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis,” which emphasized a call for a cessation of hostilities and the resumption of peace talks.
Experts say the Special Representative of the Chinese Government could bring about a crucial breakthrough for a political solution to the crisis whose epicenter is Europe.
“Both Ukraine and Russia welcome China’s efforts to promote a ceasefire and a political solution to the crisis. China is not adding fuel to the fire, providing weapons to either side or attacking them, which is why China can engage in dialogue with both Russia and Ukraine,” said Zhang Hong, a senior researcher at the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Mr. Zhang added that Beijing is a qualified mediator in this case, but asserted that it is more difficult and complicated than reconciling Iran and Saudi Arabia, because the two Middle Eastern countries are not directly fighting each other, and Riyadh and Tehran have strategic autonomy and can make independent strategic decisions.
Therefore, it may be too early to set high expectations for an immediate peaceful solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the entire peace process will take time, experts say.
Li Haidong, a professor at the Institute of International Relations at China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on April 26 that since 2022, many countries including Belarus and Türkiye have tried to mediate the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, but these efforts have not achieved meaningful results, and the conflict is far from over.
This leaves both Kiev and Moscow, as well as other parties involved in the crisis, looking for hope in another mediator with credible influence and sincerity.
Reaction of the parties
After the phone call, Ukrainian President Zelensky wrote on Twitter: “I had a long and meaningful phone conversation with President Xi Jinping. I believe that this phone call, as well as the appointment of the Ukrainian Ambassador to China, will give a strong impetus to the development of bilateral relations.”
In his nightly video address to the nation on April 26, Mr. Zelensky said there was “an opportunity to use China’s political power to strengthen the principles and rules on which peace should be built.”
“Ukraine and China, like the vast majority of the world, have the same interest in the sovereign power of states and territorial integrity,” the Ukrainian leader said.
He also said Xi had expressed support for extending a grain export agreement between Russia and Ukraine from Black Sea ports. Moscow had previously said the deal would not be extended beyond May 18 unless the West lifted its restrictions on Russian grain and fertilizer exports.
Ukrainian recruits receive training with American MRAP vehicles, March 2023. Photo: NY Times
Responding to the phone call between the leaders of Ukraine and China, the White House on April 26 welcomed the dialogue move, but said it was too early to say whether it would lead to a peace agreement.
French President Emmanuel Macron's office said that during a visit to Beijing earlier this month, the French leader urged Xi Jinping to make a phone call with Zelensky.
The 14-month war is at a pivotal moment, with Ukraine preparing to launch a counter-offensive after Russia's winter offensive, while fighting continues to heat up in Donbass, especially the flashpoint of Bakhmut.
There are no peace talks in sight, with Kiev demanding Russia withdraw its troops while Moscow insists Ukraine must accept the territorial “reality” of the regions it has annexed.
“There can be no peace at the expense of territorial compromises,” Mr. Zelensky wrote on Twitter on April 26.
Following the phone call between Xi and Zelensky, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a press conference on April 26: “We noted the Chinese side’s readiness to make efforts to establish a negotiation process.”
However, the Russian diplomat also noted that under current conditions, negotiations are unlikely, and blamed Kiev for rejecting Moscow's initiatives .
Minh Duc (According to People's Daily, Global Times, Reuters)
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