Artyom Geodakyan/Zuma Press
Is Ambassador Li Hui's mission feasible?
So, the special representative of the State Council of China for Eurasian Affairs and head of the Chinese delegation to resolve the crisis in Ukraine, after visiting Kiev and European capitals, held talks in Moscow.
Let us remind you that at the end of April, Chinese President Xi Jinping finally graced his attention to Vladimir Zelensky and spoke to him by phone. This did not happen for quite a long time, despite the fact that the collective West put pressure on Beijing, accusing it of a one-sided approach: there is an active dialogue with Moscow, but nothing with Kiev.
Beijing's response to this was that there is nothing to talk about at the moment. Only after the release of the 12-point peace plan on Ukraine and the final determination of China's position, Xi Jinping made personal contact. This was a kind of the beginning of the Chinese peace offensive. China has taken up the challenge of solving another of the world's most complex problems: the crisis in Ukraine. (Recall that not so long ago Beijing made peace between worst enemies, the Saudis and the Iranians.) During his conversation with Zelensky, the head of China said that Beijing would send a special government representative for Eurasian affairs to Ukraine and other countries in order to thoroughly exchange views on the political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis.
To understand Beijing's position, it is impossible not to mention the personality of the person entrusted by the president of China to deal with this issue. Ambassador Li Hui is a professional Russianist and a career diplomat of the highest caliber. It is also important that he was born in the province of Heilongjiang, bordering Russia, not far from the city of Harbin (the Russian capital of China). His first business trip to Moscow, where he worked at the Chinese embassy, took place during Soviet times. He confessed in private conversations that at that time his workday began with careful reading of Soviet newspapers and magazines. Having climbed the career ladder, he headed the embassy in Kazakhstan. And then – the post of deputy foreign minister of China. And again to Moscow. Li Hui worked as China's ambassador to Russia longer than anyone else – 10 years. By age, he was supposed to retire after the end of his assignment in 2019. But such personnel is not thrown away in China. And Li was given the post of Special Representative of China for Eurasian Affairs – probably on the personal order of President Xi.
This is a man who not only knows the post-Soviet space. He knows it superbly. When they say in China that they understand the root causes of the conflict in Ukraine, they speak in the words of people like Ambassador Li. It is also important that he is a man who can listen to anyone and make even the worst scoundrels feel at ease. If Ambassador Li has been entrusted with a case, it means that China has taken the case thoroughly and seriously.
But this is not an easy case. There are no quick solutions here, as Beijing has repeatedly stated. Li Hui's task is not at all to reconcile Moscow and Kiev. This is unlikely at this stage. Especially since Zelensky is not independent, just like the presidents of European countries. And the conflict is being managed from Washington. Ambassador Li should study the positions in detail, convey the information to the Chinese leadership, and perhaps begin to mediate some dialogue between the conflicting sides.
Li arrived in Ukraine on May 16, met with President Zelensky and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba. Then he visited Poland, France, Germany, and Belgium, where he was received at the same level.
After Li's visit to Berlin, Beijing said, "We support European countries in finding solutions to both the symptoms and the root causes of the crisis and in working for long-term stability on the European continent. What are we talking about here? That China is sending a message to Europe: stop looking at the problem through the eyes of Washington and look at things objectively; you have to live with Russia, which will not disappear, despite the US spells and the mountains of weapons being supplied to Kiev. By the way, this is a signal from the EU's largest trading partner, which cannot be "cancelled."
The Chinese are not inclined to talk publicly about diplomatic negotiations, especially such sensitive ones. As a rule, there are no unauthorized leaks. Nevertheless, the Western press released a sensation: during the talks in Europe and Kiev, Li Hui allegedly proposed to proceed from the status quo (i.e. to leave new territories to Russia) and start negotiations on the settlement. There was a high-level response to this rumor in Europe. For example, Chancellor Scholz rejected this "proposal," not to mention the Kiev personalities.
Apparently, this is a good example of generating false information, exerting pressure and manipulating public opinion. After all, Ambassador Li did not say anything like that in public, and in general he did not talk to journalists, treating his mission as a particularly sensitive one. In addition, it is not his job to make such suggestions. It will most likely be made by Xi Jinping himself. Probably, during official negotiations of some mediation mission with the participation of Chinese high-ranking officials. This is the way Chinese high-level diplomacy works.
Nevertheless, German Federal Foreign Office State Secretary Andreas Michaelis praised Beijing's peacekeeping efforts: "It is very useful and necessary for Germany and China to strengthen dialogue on a number of major international and regional issues, including Ukraine. Germany is ready to work with China to improve communication and exchange at all levels and to contribute to a peaceful resolution of the crisis."
Russia is the final destination of the tour. The guest stayed in the Foreign Ministry building on Smolenskaya Street for an hour and a half. He was received by Sergey Lavrov and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin. "Noting Li Hui's personal contribution to strengthening Russia-China comprehensive strategic cooperation, the minister welcomed his arrival in Moscow in his new capacity," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in an official statement. "An exchange of views on the situation around Ukraine and the prospects for resolving the conflict took place. Sergey Lavrov expressed gratitude to the Chinese side for its balanced position on the Ukrainian crisis and praised Beijing's readiness to play a positive role in its settlement," the Foreign Ministry said. The Russian Foreign Minister reiterated Moscow's commitment to a political and diplomatic solution to the conflict, "noting the serious obstacles created by the Ukrainian side and its Western handlers for resuming the peace talks."
What can be said about the outcome of Ambassador Li's trip? Beijing continues to patiently and persistently promote its 12-point plan, including a cease-fire, respect for the legitimate security interests of all countries, and overcoming the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. In March, President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed this initiative in detail in Moscow.
The reaction of Western capitals shows that they are not ready for serious negotiations and are still focused on Washington and determined to continue the conflict. And President Biden, as well as the American military-industrial complex and major corporations, have a vested interest in this. Beijing's peacekeeping is a knife in the back for them. Nevertheless, they cannot openly ignore China's peace proposals, although they are trying to discredit them in every way possible and to complicate Li Hui's mission.
Beijing is well aware of the complexity of the situation, but follows its unwavering principle of resolving issues through negotiation. However, China will in any case go down in history as the only country that took real steps to start a peace process or at least to become a mediator.
So far, we see rejection on the part of the West. This confirms once again that the decision to launch a special military operation was correct. The United States and Europe are not yet ready to take Moscow's concerns into account and only talk about Russia's strategic defeat as their main goal.
By the way, when Ambassador Li was touring European capitals, China's Tsinghua University (a very reputable institution in China and in the world) published an opinion poll. According to it, 80% of the Chinese blame the U.S. and other Western countries for the Ukrainian crisis. That is, at least 1 billion people in China are on the side of Russia. And that is not counting the citizens of the vast majority of other countries that have not supported Western sanctions. The Chinese leadership cannot ignore this. So Ambassador Li's mission will continue, despite the position of the West.