Xi eyes to play peacemaker’s role
President Xi Jinping heads to Russia today hoping to deliver a breakthrough on Ukraine as China seeks to position itself as a peacemaker.
Freshly reappointed for a third term in power, Xi is pushing a greater role for China on the global stage, and was crucial in mediating a surprise rapprochement between Middle Eastern rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia this month.
Rumours that he may soon hold his first call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky since the outbreak of war have raised hopes in Western capitals that Xi may lean on his "old friend" Putin to stop his bloody invasion during the three-day state visit.
Announcing the trip Friday, foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said China would "play a constructive role in promoting peace talks".
"Stopping the war is everyone's wish, given Europe stands to lose such a lot and the United States may not be able to support Ukraine for as long as it thinks it can," said Wang Yiwei, director of the Institute of International Affairs at Beijing's Renmin University of China.
"China can put forth its views on both sides -- it can say it is a trusted friend of both Ukraine and Russia. I think this is very significant."
Beijing, a major Russian ally, has long sought to depict itself as a neutral party to the conflict.
Beijing's efforts to show itself to be an international mediator were front and centre this month when it oversaw a deal that restored diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
It later emerged that Xi himself offered for China to serve as a "bridge" between the rivals, challenging Washington's long-standing role as the main external power broker in the Middle East.
"Brokering the (Saudi-Iran) deal feeds into the Chinese government's narrative of being a positive-sum global player promoting peace and cooperation that contrasts with Washington's purportedly destabilising actions," said University of Southern California assistant professor Audrye Wong.
But stilling the gunfire in Ukraine would be "somewhat harder" than the Saudi-Iran deal, he said, citing China's "limited" influence over Moscow and US backing for Kyiv.
Beijing, he suggested, could help usher in "an armistice similar to the one formed from the Korean War" that stops the fighting but kicks questions of territorial sovereignty further down the road.
But other analysts say Ukraine is unlikely to accept China as a mediator.
Xi may be eager for diplomatic successes, but they say it's unlikely that he will make any solid ground.
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