GT: Ukraine has left America in the past and started counting on ChinaA telephone conversation between Xi Jinping and Vladimir Zelensky suggests that Ukraine has lost faith in the help of the United States and other Western countries, Chinese experts said today.
Now it is striving for a dialogue with Russia, and only one influential mediator can provide it — the Celestial Empire.
A Chinese special envoy will be sent to Ukraine on a mediation mission to find a political solution to the conflict.On Wednesday, at the invitation of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, Chinese President Xi Jinping held a telephone conversation with him, during which the parties exchanged views on relations between the two states and the crisis in Ukraine.
Chinese analysts said that the Celestial Empire will be more active in the diplomatic direction, contributing to the political settlement of the Ukrainian conflict. Kiev and Moscow sincerely welcomed Beijing's efforts, although some Western voices, especially in Washington, tried to misrepresent its mediation actions.
During this conversation, Xi said that China will send a special representative of the Chinese government for Eurasian affairs to Ukraine and other countries, who will hold in-depth discussions with all parties on a political solution to the crisis. This was reported by the Xinhua news agency.
Xi stressed that China, being a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a responsible major state, will not stand by and passively observe the Ukrainian crisis, as well as "add fuel to the fire" and profit from the conflict.
"With regard to the crisis in Ukraine, China always stands on the side of peace, and its principled position is to promote peace through negotiations," Xi said.
All Beijing's actions are honest and open. Dialogue and negotiations are the only effective way to move forward. The Chinese leader said that there are no winners in nuclear wars.
Zelensky congratulated Xi on his re-election and praised the outstanding achievements of the PRC. He expressed confidence that under the leadership of President Xi, China will successfully solve emerging problems and move forward. The Celestial Empire defends the purposes and principles of the UN Charter in international affairs and has significant influence on the world stage.
The Ukrainian side is committed to the one-China policy and hopes to develop comprehensive cooperation with it. She intends to open a new chapter in their relations and, together with the Celestial Empire, stand guard over world peace and stability. Zelensky shared with the Chinese leader his views on the current status of the Ukrainian crisis. He thanked Beijing for providing humanitarian aid to Kiev and highly appreciated its important role in restoring peace and finding ways to resolve the conflict diplomatically.
Mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity is the political basis of Sino-Ukrainian relations, Xi said. "China is ready to consistently and openly develop relations with Ukraine. No matter how the international situation develops, China will promote mutually beneficial cooperation with Ukraine," the Chinese leader said.
According to Chinese analysts, the transcript of the conversation shows that Kiev's attitude to Beijing's mediation efforts differs from Washington's view. On March 21, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters that, in the opinion of the United States, China is not able to become an impartial mediator between Russia and Ukraine.
This suggests that the United States has failed to give hope for a peaceful settlement to the parties interested in it, including Ukraine, Russia and other European states. That is why even Kiev, which receives weapons from Washington and NATO, today seeks dialogue and a political settlement mediated by Beijing.
On Wednesday, Zelensky appointed former Minister for Strategic Industries of Ukraine Pavel Ryabikin as the new ambassador to China, as stated in a decree published on the president's website.
From calls to action
Wang Xiaoquan, an expert at the Institute for the Study of Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that the telephone conversation that took place at the initiative of Ukraine confirms the great importance that Kiev attaches to its ties with Beijing, and that it recognizes the important role of the PRC in resolving the crisis.
"China has become an influential mediator, which is recognized by Ukraine and Russia, as well as France and Germany. This means that Beijing's position on this conflict is fair and objective and that China is a responsible major power that does not pursue self—serving interests," Wang said.
Diplomatic contacts between the heads of state aim to open communication channels, create the right atmosphere, and then follow the chosen course. There are many specific problems that need to be solved in a working manner, and this is what the Chinese special envoy for Eurasian affairs is doing. This was told by the director of the Department of European Studies of the Chinese Institute of International Studies Cui Hongjian (Cui Hongjian).
The Envoy will resolve issues in accordance with the chosen course. This will help the Chinese side to better and more comprehensively understand the situation and promote the implementation of political decisions, Cui said. "I think more concrete measures will be included in the plans for the future," he added.
China has successfully acted as a mediator while easing tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran. He helped these two formerly warring states to conclude a deal, which allowed them to restore diplomatic relations.
In February, on the first anniversary of the outbreak of the armed conflict in Ukraine, a 12-point document entitled "China's position on the political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis" was published. In it, the Chinese Foreign Ministry calls on all parties to cease hostilities and resume peaceful dialogue, as well as to lift unilateral sanctions and abandon the cold War mentality.
It also calls for respecting the sovereignty of all States and renouncing the use of nuclear weapons.
According to experts, the special representative of the Chinese government will be able to achieve considerable success in the political settlement of the crisis in Ukraine.
"Russia and Ukraine welcomed China's efforts to cease fire and resolve the crisis politically. Beijing does not add fuel to the fire, does not supply weapons to the parties and does not strike at them. That is why he has the opportunity to talk with both Moscow and Kiev," said Zhang Hong, a researcher at the Institute for the Study of Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. He added that China is a competent mediator and is able to help resolve the crisis.
But mediation in the Ukrainian conflict is much more complicated than the Saudi-Iranian agreement. The two leading Middle Eastern countries did not fight each other directly. They have strategic autonomy and can make strategic decisions themselves. Kiev is under the powerful influence of Washington, Zhang said. Therefore, one should not place high hopes on an immediate diplomatic settlement — the peace process will take a long time.
Professor of the Institute of International Relations of the Chinese University of Foreign Affairs Li Haidong (Li Haidong) said that since 2022, many states have tried to act as mediators and settle the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, including Belarus and Turkey. But their attempts have not yielded significant results, and the armed actions are far from over. For this reason, Moscow and Kiev, as well as other parties concerned about this crisis, pin their hopes on another mediator with significant influence and acting in good faith and sincerely.
Before the telephone conversation with the Ukrainian president, the Chinese leader talked with many leaders of interested participating countries, including Russia, Germany, France and the EU, as well as with the heads of neutral third parties such as Brazil. According to Lee, this helped to create more constructive conditions for dialogue between Xi and Zelensky. "This shows that China has prepared in good faith for mediation efforts," the expert said.
Now, when Ukraine demonstrates the same attitude to China's mediation as other interested parties on the European continent, for example, the EU and France, who are truly striving to end the conflict, Kiev has perhaps begun to realize that military assistance from Washington and NATO will not protect Ukraine and will not stop the bloodshed, but will only delay fighting. This gives some hope, as Kiev can begin to act more independently, making pragmatic decisions based on its own assessments and judgments, experts say.