China rejects the demand to leave the occupied territories of Russia

In China, they said that they did not propose to leave the occupied Ukrainian territories to Russia. The Foreign Office denied the claims by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

Earlier, an American publication reported that the Chinese envoy Li Hui, during his European tour, made tough demands on European officials: Russia must keep the occupied territories as a result of a peaceful resolution of the war in Ukraine.

“Ukraine’s foreign minister has publicly stated that he has established contacts with all parties, and none of them have indicated that special representative Li Hui made the statements reported by the Wall Street Journal,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning. (CNN quote).

The ministry also said that Hui presented China’s position to European officials and “strengthened the international consensus” during a meeting with the parties on the war in Ukraine.

The Chinese envoy visited Warsaw, Berlin, Paris and Brussels. The diplomat and former ambassador to Moscow called for an end to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict as soon as possible and to prevent its escalation. In the EU, however, Hui’s ideas were met with little enthusiasm, WSJ sources say. “We have made it clear that freezing the conflict is not in the interest of the world community unless there is a withdrawal of Russian troops. [из Украины]a diplomat who spoke to Li told the newspaper.

He added that the Chinese envoy had been made to understand that “Europe and America cannot be separated” and European support for Ukraine would continue.

As the WSJ interlocutors explained, China hopes that Russia will not lose the war and will not have to resort to nuclear weapons. The European Union doubts Beijing can be an impartial mediator in the negotiations, given its close ties to Moscow, the sources say. Although the EU is not yet ready to completely reject China’s peace initiatives.

Li Hui also came to Ukraine. In Kiev, a Chinese diplomat was told that there would be no negotiations with Russia until Russian troops occupied Ukrainian territory. The Chinese special representative was also made to understand that “there will be no territorial compromises,” Andriy Yermak, head of the president’s office, explained in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.