China’s Special Envoy for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui leaves the Russian Foreign Ministry headquarters after talks in Moscow, Russia, May 26, 2023. Photo/REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
BEIJING – China’s special envoy for Eurasian affairs Li Hui will take part in weekend talks in Saudi Arabia to seek a peaceful settlement to the war in Ukraine.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemlu) explained this on Friday (4/8/2023).
“China is willing to work with the international community to continue to play a constructive role in promoting a political solution to this crisis,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin.
Ukrainian and Western diplomats hope a meeting in Jeddah with national security advisers and other senior officials from some 40 countries will agree on key principles for a future peace settlement.
China’s participation was a diplomatic coup for the Saudi Kingdom. China was invited to a previous round of talks in Copenhagen at the end of June but did not attend.
“Saudi diplomacy played a key role in persuading Beijing to attend the Jeddah talks,” said a German official.
Saudi state news agency SPA said, “The kingdom hopes the meeting will strengthen dialogue and cooperation… to ensure a solution to the crisis through political and diplomatic means.”
Ukrainian and Western officials say Riyadh wants to play a prominent diplomatic role.
“The meeting is more suitable for Beijing with Saudi Arabia as the host because it would not be seen as engineered by the West,” said Yun Sun, director of the China Program at the Stimson Center in Washington.
2023-08-05 17:01:48
#Friend #Russia #China #Chooses #Join #Ukraine #Peace #Negotiations #Saudi #Arabia
