Recently, Ambassador Li Hui, the Special Representative of the Chinese Government, embarked on a mission to five countries: Ukraine, Poland, France, Germany and Russia. However, when Deputy Li Hui just arrived in Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky unexpectedly began a series of "lightning visits" to Europe, first Italy, then Germany, France, and then hurriedly flew to Britain.
Zelensky's plans for his visit are clearly cause for concern. Photos of Zelensky's hug with British Prime Minister Sunak at the presidential palace at the Elysee Palace in Paris became the focus of the media. Judging from the content of the conversation that can be understood so far, Zelensky's talks in Germany, France and the United Kingdom mainly revolve around the Ukrainian crisis and military assistance. Some foreign media even revealed that Ukraine's need for military assistance is very urgent, and once the assistance is in place, Ukraine may take counteroffensive actions, which will undoubtedly have a great impact on Russia.
However, this posture stands in stark contrast to China's position of persuading peace and promoting talks. Not long ago, the Chinese top brass said that it would send special envoys to Ukraine and Europe to find a peaceful solution. However, Ukraine does not pay much attention to the visit of the Chinese envoy, and even some media interpret Zelensky's actions as "releasing pigeons".
China's dispatch of Li Hui as a special envoy was also deliberate. Li Hui served as a vice minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and accumulated a wealth of knowledge of the Russian region during his tenure as Chinese ambassador to Russia. Maslov, a Russian expert on international relations, praised Li Hui's abilities, calling him an outstanding negotiator. The countries that Li Hui will visit this time are all countries that China believes may play a mediation role, which will undoubtedly be received by the top leadership of these countries.
China's Foreign Ministry said that this reflects China's firm support for the peace talks on the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and China's determination to safeguard peace. Li Hui's visit is also China's highest-level visit since the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis. However, when the Chinese envoy was about to arrive in Ukraine, Zelensky chose to visit abroad, which has sparked speculation about whether it means that the Ukrainian side does not attach much importance to China's peaceful mediation.
Although the visit of the Chinese envoy may not necessarily resolve the Ukraine crisis overnight, under the current situation, China's positive attitude and willingness to mediate will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the security and stability of Ukraine, Russia and Europe as a whole. The countries Li Hui's visit, such as Germany and France, are all participants in the Minsk agreements, reflecting China's desire to leverage the influence of these countries in conflict resolution.
However, Zelensky's actions have somewhat weakened the effectiveness of the visit of the Chinese envoy. Zelensky welcomed the support of Western countries and received promises of military assistance from Germany, France and other countries. This support may have reduced Ukraine's dependence on China's peaceful settlement to some extent.
In general, in the context of the ongoing war in Ukraine, Zelensky's foreign visit is actually aimed at winning more support and promoting Ukraine's strategic goals. However, Western countries are facing internal and external pressures, and restrictions on aid to Ukraine are increasing. At the same time, the visit of Chinese special envoy Li Hui represents China's attitude of actively participating in crisis resolution, and although this special envoy's visit may have been affected by Zelensky's actions, China's participation is still beneficial for the peaceful resolution of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
In this context, the international community is paying more and more attention to the solution of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. As countries such as the United States gradually recognize China's positive role in peace mediation, a resolution of the Ukraine crisis may also be closer to realization. After all, neither side can afford to fight indefinitely, and China's role as a peace advocate to find a reasonable solution for all parties is undoubtedly now
of urgent needs. Zhang Jun, China's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, stressed at the UN Security Council that finding a political solution to the Ukraine crisis is crucial. However, this complex problem is not a simple answer to solve, and every solution needs to start from the first step and seek common focus.
At present, the attitude of European countries to the settlement of the Ukrainian issue is not completely unanimous. Some argue that Ukraine needs more time to regain lost ground, while others want a ceasefire to calm the conflict. In this context, the visit of the Chinese envoy has become a balancing point, hoping to play a mediating role in the international community.