Beijing works to promote peace talks

Beijing said it will kick off the fourth round of shuttle diplomacy to promote the de-escalation of the prolonged Ukraine crisis, the country's latest efforts to promote peace talks on the issue.

Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Eurasian Affairs Li Hui will, starting Sunday, visit Brazil, South Africa and Indonesia, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a regular news conference on Friday.

As the international community, especially countries in the Global South, is concerned about the risks of spillover and escalation of the Ukraine conflict, Mao said China will further exchange views with key members of the Global South on the current situation, with an aim to explore ways to cool down the situation and create conditions for resuming peace talks.

The announcement came on the same day as Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrapped up his four-day visit to China, during which Beijing reiterated its readiness to keep playing a constructive role in pushing for a cease-fire.

Since last year, China has sent its special representative on Eurasian affairs on three rounds of shuttle diplomacy in an effort to resolve the crisis.

As a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and a responsible major country, China has been firmly committed to promoting a political solution to the crisis, Mao said.

In May, China and Brazil issued six-point common understandings on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, which has received positive responses from over 100 countries from five continents and international organizations.

"China is not a creator of the Ukraine crisis, much less a party to it," Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, said on Thursday.

"However, we did not sit by. On the contrary, we have all along insisted on promoting peace and negotiation and pushing for a political solution, (to) which the international community can bear witness," he added.

Minlu Zhang at the United Nations contributed to this story.