What China really wants. And who is Li Hui, the dove of peace between Ukraine and Russia?

The first thing everyone needs to understand is that China is not our friend. The mastermind of Russia's great war against Ukraine deliberately does not call the war a "war" even after the conversation. And in the numerous releases on the phone call, Russia is not mentioned anywhere and in any way.

Xi Jinping and Putin, photo: Reuters

• We are interested in a political settlement of the situation in Ukraine.
• The complex evolution of the Ukrainian crisis. 
• Dialogue and negotiations are the only way. 
• China always stands on the side of peace. 

You have just read China's main points regarding the large-scale bloodshed in Ukraine that began immediately after the Beijing Olympics. 

Why did the phone conversation take place now?

First of all, China is trying to erase the public negative perception of the very scandalous interview of Chinese Ambassador to France Lu Shaye, who said that Khrushchev gifted Crimea to Ukraine. And all post-Soviet states are inferior, because allegedly there are no agreements that would give strength to their sovereignty. In other words, China has publicly recognized the right of the Russian Federation to commit acts of aggression against states that were imprisoned by the USSR before 1991. 

Although such statements amused the Kremlin - the key here is Russia's Crimea - they were taken with a grain of salt in the West and especially in the Baltic states. That is why, against the backdrop of this faux pas, Xi Jinping decided to pick up the phone from Zelenskyy. 

Moreover, China even sent a special representative to Kyiv for an "in-depth discussion of a political settlement." This Chinese peace dove will be Li Hui. This is a man who has been substantively involved in Sino-Soviet relations since 1975. Li Hui then served as Beijing's ambassador to Russia for ten years, from 2009 to 2019. In 2019, Russian President Vladimir Putin presented the diplomat with the Order of Friendship "for his services in strengthening friendship and cooperation between the peoples of the Russian Federation and China, for his fruitful work on rapprochement and mutual enrichment of the cultures of nations and peoples." When Li Hui was assistant foreign minister of China in 2006, he also received an official thank you from Putin for his great contribution to the development of cooperation. So this is clearly not the person who will watch Zelenskyy's emotional patriotic evening addresses and feel for the daily suffering of Ukrainians.

Putin and Li Hui, photo: kremlin.ru

It is not yet clear when Li Hui will come to Ukraine. It is also very interesting whether his schedule will include a trip to Bucha and Irpin. And will what he sees in Ukraine be a reason for China to take a tougher and clearer stance at the UN level? 

It is unlikely that China wishes us well. China wants to save face against the backdrop of large-scale preparations by China's Asian neighbors, such as South Korea and Japan, for World War III. It is also an attempt to minimize the topic of the war in Ukraine. It is no secret that the markets of the European Union are important to China, and economic relations with France and Germany are even more important. And so, to Russia's delight, this is also an attempt to shift the topic of Ukraine to the back by employing the theme of personal national gain.

And this is where Zelenskyy needs to be very careful, as the current public face of the Ukrainian state. China does not care about Ukraine's future. Beijing would much prefer to see a gray zone with a number of occupied territories where NATO would not want to come, where there would be no investment and a huge outflow of people. It is profitable for China to fish in muddy waters, and therefore it would be very happy with a corrupt government that does not care about the reforms demanded by its Western partners. 

This call from Xi Jinping to Zelenskyy is an attempt to prevent the start of an active phase of the Ukrainian counteroffensive and to impose negotiations to freeze the status quo on the battlefield. If we compare this with Russia's rejoicing and the points of China's "peace plan," this is pure lobbying for a cessation of hostilities. And giving Russia the already occupied territories of the South and Donbas. For the next occupations after 7 to 8 years of preparation, taking into account all the current mistakes. 

Fortunately, it is obvious that Zelenskyy's call to Xi Jinping took place after consultations with our Western friends. After all, our president clearly said that Ukraine must restore its territorial integrity within the 1991 borders, including Crimea. That the situation at the front line is difficult, but Ukraine will continue to liberate its land, and there will be no peace at the expense of territorial compromises. And that all states should refrain from supporting Russia in the war, including military-technical cooperation and arms supplies. All of this fits into the framework of the fact that the United States has been publicly saying for several months that Xi should listen directly to Zelenskyy about the war in Ukraine.

A test for the professionalism and patriotism of the Zelenskyy team

I am sure that some people in the president's inner circle will want to resolve something with Special Representative Li Hui in an "informal setting." But it's worth remembering that similar restaurant and telephone diplomacy with Dmytro Kozak led to a long and difficult war. And it is also a great success that amid these years of talks about disarmament, demining and legalization of the L/DPR in the Ukrainian Constitution, the United States and the United Kingdom did not abandon us and became our partners from day one. 

China, a very peaceful country, is indifferent to what will happen here after the war - a deserted Wild Field or something more or less alive where they can invest money. In Chinese eyes, we are just another laboratory with white mice. They don't care what happens after the experiments with rodents. 

Therefore, the next time Zelenskyy wants to talk to Xi, he should keep in mind that no talks with China should be held without the US position. You can't take American weapons and money and kiss on the gums with America's main enemy. No free improvisations and restaurant diplomacy accompanied with "we'll figure it out somehow." Otherwise, a completely loyal ordinary voter from Alabama will be very right to write on Twitter, "Why is a billion of my taxes going to Chinese b*tches instead of a road in my village?"

Furthermore, it should be understood that war fatigue is mowing down the ranks of not only our local lovers of lavender raff and chilling to Russian hookah rap. The average Frenchman, German, and Italian wants to forget about someone else's war and worry about how to plan their two vacations to Greece. That is why Ukraine must not let our war and the occupation of 18% of its territories get talked over. And we must not let the idea that the Russians and their friends the Chinese dream of firing off. They say, let's give less weapons to Ukraine, because this way they will be more likely to seek reconciliation with the Russians. At the cost of our territories and broken destinies, of course. 

Therefore, when smiling at Xi Jinping and his experienced expert on Russia, who is covered with Putin's orders, you should know that this is the enemy. And there must be a reliable sword in the right hand behind the back against every dragon.

About author: Marina Daniluk-Yarmolaeva, journalist, political observer, presenter