Chinese President Xi Jinping is stepping up efforts to position himself as a peacemaker in regards to Russia’s war in Ukraine, despite growing criticisms from the U.S. and Europe that Beijing is propping up the Kremlin’s battlefield efforts.
With Moscow and Kyiv facing pressure at home and abroad to find a way to end the war, China last week hosted its first senior official from Ukraine since the conflict began in 2022. While Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba the time was "not yet ripe” for peace talks, he said both sides were now signaling a willingness to negotiate.
Beijing followed up that outreach on Sunday by dispatching its special envoy Li Hui to Brazil, South Africa and Indonesia to "build up conditions to resume peace talks” — countries that have also skipped imposing U.S.-led sanctions on Russia.