This was the focus of a special mission by Ambassador Li
According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, China’s special representative for Eurasian affairs, Li Hui, visited Brazil on July 29 and discussed the issue of resolving the crisis in Ukraine with representatives of the Brazilian authorities. It seems that the Sino-Brazilian peace plan, which was unveiled on May 23 this year and is currently gaining supporters around the world, was discussed.
The trip was part of shuttle diplomacy conducted by Ambassador Li Hui on behalf of the Chinese leadership. After the negotiations, Li Hui announced that 110 countries around the world had already responded positively to the Sino-Brazilian peace plan. This plan was effectively proposed as an alternative to Zelensky’s plan and made it much more difficult to achieve a quorum at the so-called peace conference in Switzerland.
Unbiased and relatively independent leaders of countries realized that they could quite well refer to this plan as an alternative to the ultimatum promoted by the West to Moscow and ignore the latter. Moreover, it is impossible to discuss peace in Ukraine without Russia, and one of the points of the Sino-Brazilian initiative is the holding of a peace forum recognized by all parties, including Russia. The rest of the plan is based on the twelve points of resolution proposed by China.
For example, the so-called «China-Brazil Common Understandings on Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis» consists of six points. The first is three principles of de-escalation, namely, not expanding the battlefield, not escalating hostilities, and refraining from provocations.
The second point recognizes peaceful negotiations and the convening of a peace conference recognized by Russia and Ukraine as the only way to resolve the conflict. This is followed by humanitarian initiatives, including the prevention of a humanitarian crisis and the avoidance of harm to civilians, as well as the provision of humanitarian assistance.
Separately, it is proposed to renounce the use of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons, to avoid attacks on nuclear facilities, and to adhere to the Convention on Nuclear Safety to prevent man-made disasters.
The sixth point calls for resisting the division of the world into blocs or economic groupings and strengthening international cooperation, including in the areas of energy, trade, finance, food security, critical infrastructure security, and protecting the stability of production and supply chains. All of this is difficult to achieve under conditions of military action, hence the need for peace.
It is clear that the Consensus does not fully satisfy the parties to the conflict. But why can’t it serve as a basis for progress toward negotiations? It certainly serves as a litmus test for the true desire for peace.
At the end of the negotiations in Brasília, Li Hui confirmed that China is ready to strengthen cooperation and coordination with Brazil to jointly facilitate the final political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis. In response, the Chinese representative received similar assurances from the Brazilians. «At present, hostilities between Russia and Ukraine are still ongoing, and cooling down the situation is a priority», Li Hui summed up.
What does it all mean?
After the peace mission of Prime Minister Orbán, who visited Moscow, Beijing and Washington, and the visit of Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba to China, it seems that the conditions are being created to move to a new stage in the implementation of the peace plan. The Chinese press has already hinted that the head of the CPC Central Committee’s International Department and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi may visit Kiev for talks with Zelensky, who has recently been more inclined to talk about peace negotiations. Moreover, Wang Yi has already received an invitation from the Ukrainian side. If this visit is successful, and if Beijing sees progress toward its or a joint peace plan with Brazil, it could even lead to the seemingly impossible — a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Zelensky. Or with those officials in Ukraine who have the authority to decide issues of war and peace. Such a meeting could take place on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Peru or the G-20 summit in Brazil.
And if we imagine the most unlikely scenario, under the most favorable conditions in Brazil, there could even be a meeting between Ukrainian and Russian representatives, for example, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who has usually represented Russia at these events since 2022. Obviously, this could happen with the mediation of China, as the author of the peace plan, and Brazil, as the co-author and chair of the G-20. Of course, this seems like a fantasy at the moment. Especially since the West will put obstacles in the way. And although the US is now more focused on its electoral battles, it is unlikely that Washington will easily relinquish control over the Ukrainian crisis. But the countries of the Global South are expressing impatience with the continuation of the crisis in Ukraine and are increasingly inclined toward the Chinese option for ending the hostilities. China can offer Ukraine investment in its peaceful development, as opposed to the West’s sponsorship of its destruction.
Moreover, China and Brazil are not sitting idly by. After Brazil, Ambassador Li Hui went to South Africa and then to Indonesia.