The special representative for Eurasian Affairs, Li Hui, is already stepping on Kyiv as the Chinese mayor politician dreamed of doing since the beginning of the Russian invasion. Although this last noun will not come out of his mouth, neither will "war"; perhaps “crisis”, at most “conflict”. Lexical restriction that symbolizes the convoluted theatricality of China in the face of the reality of Ukraine. The performative nature of this visit equally places on stage the impromptu choreography of the regime before the course of events, both on the battlefield and in global geopolitics.
Li's trip was agreed upon during a telephone conversation between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in late April, the first conversation between the two leaders since the outbreak of the war. Throughout those fourteen months, on the other hand, Xi met or spoke with his "old Russian friend" leader Vladimir Putin up to five times, including a trip to Moscow in March, evidencing his arch equidistance.
China has maintained at all times an alleged neutrality that hides an implicit support for Russia. The regime has never criticized the aggression and has repeated the Kremlin's argument, blaming NATO and the United States for what happened. At the same time, China has sustained the Russian economy by multiplying its commercial ties, which grew by 2022% throughout 34 to reach a record figure of 180.000 billion euros, largely thanks to the importation of precious gas, oil and coal. discounts
chinese rush
However, China did not take a more active position in the investigation of the fighting, starting with the publication at the end of February of a document – mistakenly characterized as a menu as a “peace plan” – that receives a general opinion about its position before the conflict and the ambiguous principles of a «political resolution». Many Western diplomatic actors recognized the bias of this statement on ABC, also celebrating that the regime would abandon passivity with a text that "revealed the contradictions of its position."
The first one consists of the violation of one of the fundamental principles of foreign policy matters: territorial integrity. The referendums in territories occupied by the Russian offensive could well be an uncomfortable prelude to the future of Taiwan. China, in fact, does not even recognize the annexation of Crimea. At the same time, the regime cannot let a country with which it shares a common front fall – more “alignment” than “alliance” – before the universal values of the West, but it cannot sacrifice its relationship with the world, especially the European Union. , caused by an alien conflict. This need came at a particularly acute moment, when its economy is beginning to move past the disaster caused by three years under the covid-zero policy.
China has maintained at all times an alleged neutrality that hides an implicit support for Russia
The slow retreat of the Russian troops requires, in parallel, a deeper diplomatic participation that allows China to play a relevant role in any hypothetical resolution. The protagonist of such a balancing exercise will be Li Hui, who has the consolation of knowing the terrain, since between 2009 and 2019 he was the Chinese ambassador in Moscow. During this week he will visit Ukraine and Russia, and between media they will go through Poland, France and Germany to see first-hand the European state of mind.
The Chinese authorities have barely offered details about Li's adventures, so as not to raise the profile of a risky trip whose outcome is unknown. “We provided information a few days ago about the visit (…). We will share more details at the appropriate time," Chinese Foreign Affairs spokesman Wang Wenbin limited himself to stating today during the agency's daily press conference in Beijing. "China will continue to work with the rest of the world to play a constructive role in the political resolution of the Ukraine crisis," he concluded, attesting to how often the message underlies, rather than the words spoken, those ignored.
