Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi talks with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province on July 24, 2024. Photo: Weibo of Ukrainian Embassy to China's information center

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba on Wednesday in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, with Kuleba saying Ukraine is willing and prepared to conduct dialogue and negotiations with Russia. 

Some experts said Kuleba's visit to China at this time clearly shows that he recognizes China's sincere efforts in mediating the Russia-Ukraine conflict and its influence as a major power. This approach aligns with Ukraine's interests. If Ukraine continues to rely solely on the US-led West as it did in the past, it is likely to be abandoned, they said. 

Wang said China believes the resolution of all conflicts ultimately requires returning to the negotiation table, and that all disputes must be resolved through political means, adding that recently both Ukraine and Russia have shown willingness for negotiations.

The Ukraine crisis has entered its third year, with the conflict still ongoing and the risk of escalation and spillover remaining, Wang said, noting that China has consistently been committed to promoting a political resolution to the crisis. 

Wang said the four principles laid out by President Xi Jinping form China's fundamental approach to finding a solution to the crisis. 

On this basis, Wang said that China and Brazil have jointly outlined six common understandings for a political resolution of the Ukraine crisis, including three principles for managing the conflict, three elements for a peace plan, three humanitarian concerns, as well as important measures to prevent nuclear risks and ensure the stability of industrial and supply chains.

"Although the conditions and timing are not yet ripe, we support all efforts conducive to peace and stand ready to continue to play a constructive role for a ceasefire and resumption of peace talks," Wang said, adding that China is closely following the humanitarian situation in Ukraine and will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to the country.

Kuleba said the Ukrainian side attached importance to China's views, and studied the six common understandings for a political resolution of the Ukraine crisis. "The Ukrainian side is willing to and preparing to conduct dialogue and negotiations with Russia. Of course, negotiations should be rational and substantive, aiming to achieve a just and lasting peace," Kuleba said, according to a statement on website of the Chinese foreign ministry. 

Kuleba's four-day visit to China, which was also the first one since the Russia-Ukraine conflict began in 2022, has taken place when the global geopolitical landscape is going through major changes, some experts said. 

Following US President Joe Biden's withdrawal from the presidential race, it's widely believed that Washington's stance on the Ukraine crisis may change. Also, across Europe, calls advocating for reduced aid to Ukraine are growing louder as the domestic political landscape in countries like France and the UK are also undergoing rapid changes, experts noted. 

"In fact, China's role on the Ukraine crisis has always been promoting peace talks, and the fact that Kuleba is coming to China for talks demonstrates Ukraine's growing recognition of China's role in fostering peace negotiations," Zhang Hong, an associate research fellow at the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Wednesday. 

Unique role 

In a video posted late Tuesday on his social media accounts, Kuleba said China can play a significant role in the pursuit of a just and stable peace on the Ukraine crisis, the AP said. 

"The fact that Donald Trump stating that he will immediately resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict if he takes office worries Kiev," Cui Heng, a scholar from the Shanghai-based China National Institute for SCO International Exchange and Judicial Cooperation, told the Global Times on Wednesday. 

Trump might force Ukraine to cede sovereignty and territory to quickly reach a peace agreement with Russia, which would make Ukraine a pawn in the power game between major nations, Cui noted. 

During the meeting, Kuleba said Ukraine highly appreciates China's positive and constructive role in promoting peace and maintaining international order. 

In the face of rapidly changing domestic and international situations, Ukraine finds it increasingly difficult to sustain a long-term war of attrition. It can no longer fully rely on the US, Europe, and NATO and urgently needs to find new supportive forces, some experts said. In the eyes of the Ukrainian government, China has significant global influence, they noted. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently hinted at a willingness to negotiate with Russia for the first time since the war began, suggesting that Moscow should send a delegation to the next peace summit that he hopes to hold in November, CNN reported on Saturday. 

On the Ukraine crisis, China has consistently promoted peace talks, but in the past, Ukraine, bolstered by Western support, showed little interest in such efforts and preferred military aid, Zhang noted. "However, with recent US political shake-up, China's role in promoting peace talks has become uniquely significant." 

"Additionally, the West lacks influence over Russia, while Ukraine believes that China has a unique role in encouraging negotiations," Zhang said. 

From mediating re-establishment of diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran to Beijing Declaration inked by Palestinian factions, now to Ukraine's recognition of China's efforts in promoting peace talks, it is evident that China's inclusive and comprehensive security concepts are being accepted by an increasing number of nations, the expert added. 

Healthy and stable relations 

During the meeting, Wang said China and Ukraine are friendly nations to each other, and their interactions over the years have been characterized by friendship and cooperation. 

Wang called for maintaining communication and exchanges, enhancing mutual trust, continuing the tradition of friendship, promoting goodwill among the two peoples, and fostering the healthy and stable development of China-Ukraine relations.

From a rational perspective, Ukraine's close communication with China and seeking China's support is a reasonable choice. China has no direct interest in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and does not profit from it. Therefore, it is a trustworthy party, experts said. 

Kuleba told Wang that Ukraine supports China's position on the Taiwan question and will continue to adhere to the one-China principle. 

Ukraine hopes to jointly implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, strengthen political mutual trust, revitalize cooperation in various fields such as trade and agriculture, and enhance exchanges between sister cities at the local level, according to the readout. 

Over the past two years, the US and some Western countries have tried to link the Taiwan question with the Ukraine crisis, comparing two completely different matters and encouraging some Ukrainians to cooperate with Taiwan, including military exchanges and training, some experts said, noting that such a trend is concerning.

"Kuleba's statement is important because it indicates that even Ukrainians do not accept the forced linkage of the Taiwan question and Ukraine crisis by the US-led West. The notion propagated by Taiwan of 'Ukraine today, Taiwan tomorrow' is unfounded," Cui said. 

Some experts believe by talking with the Chinese side, Ukraine has shown its willingness and readiness to negotiate with Russia, however, the main issue now is whether Moscow is willing to talk.