"China has obtained a prominent seat" meeting | Ukraine | China
According to the CNN website on August 7th, China praised talks aimed at finding a peace solution for Ukraine on Monday. Previously, a Chinese envoy attended an international conference held in Saudi Arabia last weekend.
According to reports, Reuters quoted a written statement from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs as saying that China stated that the two-day meeting held in the Saudi port city of Jeddah will help to gather international consensus in finding a peaceful solution to the conflict.
This meeting was attended by dozens of countries including Ukraine, the United States, and EU countries. According to media reports, Kremlin officials said that Russia was not invited to attend the talks, but is closely monitoring them.
According to reports, although there has been little progress in this meeting other than promising more discussions in the future, Ukraine claims that China's participation is a diplomatic victory. Beijing did not participate in the previous round of talks held in Denmark in June, but in recent years, it has deepened its relationship with Saudi Arabia.
According to reports, China has secured a prominent seat at the negotiating table in Jeddah. A photo released by the Saudi National News Agency shows Saudi National Security Advisor Musad bin Mohammad Eban sitting between US President's National Security Assistant Jack Sullivan and Chinese government's Special Representative for Eurasian Affairs, Li Hui.
On August 6th, representatives from over 40 countries attended the International Conference on Ukraine held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Reuters in a written statement that Chinese representatives have had extensive contact and communication with all parties regarding the political resolution of the Ukrainian crisis, listened to their opinions and suggestions, and further consolidated international consensus.
The statement stated that all parties actively evaluated the attendance of Chinese representatives and fully supported China's active role in promoting peace talks.
The statement also stated that Beijing will continue to be committed to strengthening dialogue based on its 12 point recommendations on the Ukraine issue.
Russia will talk about efforts by the West to mobilize the "global South" to support Zelensky's plan. However, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Riyabkov pointed out that the participation of BRICS countries such as China and India may be useful as they may convey common sense to Western asylum seekers in Kiev. Riyabkov also stated that Russia will discuss the results of the talks with its BRICS partners.
In addition, it was reported on the website of the Russian Sputnik News Agency on August 8, according to the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, on August 7, Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister, had a telephone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov. Both sides exchanged views on international and regional issues such as bilateral relations, the expansion of the BRICS mechanism, and the Ukraine crisis.
When it comes to the Ukraine issue, Wang Yi emphasized that China will uphold an independent and fair position in any international multilateral context, issue an objective and rational voice, actively promote peace talks, and strive to seek political solutions. Lavrov stated that the Russian side highly agrees with China's position paper on political resolution of the Ukrainian crisis, appreciates and welcomes China's constructive role in this regard.
In addition, according to the website of the Capitol Hill Daily on August 7th, senior US officials briefly met with Chinese envoys outside the international conference venue held in Saudi Arabia last weekend.
US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Monday that Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs Sullivan and Acting Deputy Secretary of State Newland had a brief meeting with the Chinese government's Special Representative for Eurasian Affairs, Li Hui.
Miller also stated that China's participation in the meeting held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia was "productive".
On August 8th, the German "China Platform" website published an article stating that as the new week begins, people have made surprisingly positive comments on the talks held in Saudi Arabia aimed at ending the conflict in Ukraine. Although no joint statement has been issued by various countries, China's participation is seen as a success in many places.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba believes that the attendance of Chinese representatives at the talks is a "significant breakthrough".
The article states that hoping for China to stay away from its partner Russia is more like wishful thinking than reality. Bilateral trade between the two countries continues to grow and reach new highs. They are also strengthening military cooperation and have recently held large-scale joint sea and air exercises.
The article believes that the visit of Li Hui, the Chinese government's special representative for Eurasian affairs, to Jeddah is China's strategy. Beijing hopes to showcase its positive and responsible image as a peaceful country and strengthen its ties with the Gulf region and even the Middle East. A few months ago, China mediated the agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Gulf countries are also regarded as important partners of China's "the Belt and Road" initiative.
