Diplomatic observers say he can speak to all parties and it should not be assumed he is biased towards Russia.
China’s point man in Ukraine , Li Hui, has been tasked with what some believe is an impossible mission – trying to broker peace. Li, Beijing’s special envoy for Eurasian Affairs since 2019, is a fluent Russian speaker and spent 10 years as ambassador to Russia – but observers say this does not mean he will be biased towards Moscow. After last week’s phone call between Presidents Xi Jinping and Volodymyr Zelensky , the Chinese foreign ministry announced that Li would “travel to Ukraine and other countries for in-depth communications with different parties for a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis”. It remains to see how far Beijing’s mediation can go when neither Moscow nor Kyiv has shown any willingness to back down, but China is keen to play a role in ending a conflict that has had a major impact on global politics, economics and supply chains. Li, who spent 10 years as ambassador to Russia, was promoted to special envoy status in 2019. His status as a former deputy foreign minister gives him more weight when communicating Beijing’s message, according to Li Lifan, a specialist in Russia and Central Asia at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.
