BEIJING, Sept 12 (Askume) – Chinese President Xi Jinping may meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky next month, a former Ukrainian official said on Thursday at the opening ceremony of China’s biggest annual military-diplomatic event in Beijing.
Former Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Chai said at the opening of the Xiangshan Forum that diplomatic relations with Beijing had improved and a meeting could now be held.
“Now all of us in Ukraine are hoping for some contact, direct contact, between President Zelensky and President Xi,” Charlie said of China’s efforts to restore security in Europe.
Beijing says it is neutral against Russia’s 30-month invasion of Ukraine, but it has close strategic ties with Moscow and did not attend a peace summit hosted by Ukraine in June.
Then-Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba met his Chinese counterpart in Beijing in July , while Zelensky planned another possible summit in November, this time with the participation of Russia.
Cui Hongjian, director of the Institute of European Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, said on the sidelines of the forum that China is willing to participate in future summits because it does not want its efforts to be “in vain.”
When asked about the possibility of meeting with Xi Zelensky, Cui Tiankai said: “We are willing to do anything that is conducive to peace.”
Ukraine and 90 countries and international organisations sent representatives to attend the crucial forum held in Beijing from 12-14 September.
Despite being embroiled in territorial disputes in its own backyard, China is keen to portray itself as a responsible player in international conflicts. The theme of the forum is “Promoting Peace and Building a Shared Future”.
The Philippines and ChinaEach accused the other of attacking coast guard ships in the South China Sea, while China intruded into Japanese airspace and territorial waters at least twice in August.
Beijing continues to send warplanes and ships to areas around democratically-ruled Taiwan, which it considers its territory.
Western countries have expressed concern over China’s growing military cooperation with Russia and its ” dangerous actions ” in the South China Sea . In July, China and Belarus conducted joint military exercises a few kilometres from the border with NATO member Poland.
The United States plans to send Michael Chase, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for China, Taiwan and Mongolia, to attend the forum. Chase ranks higher than the U.S. officials who attended last year’s meeting, though his rank is in line with historical standards.
Although nuclear talks were suspended by Beijing in July and regular communication channels reopened nearly two years later, US-China military tensions have stagnated in recent months.
Chase’s presence is expected to mark deeper working-level engagement with China.
Rick Waters, former China coordinator at the US State Department and current China managing director at the Eurasia Group, welcomed the thaw in relations between the two countries, but said, “The question is, can they avoid a crisis?”
Most Western countries sent small, low-level delegations, preferring to discuss international security issues at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
Other participants included the defence ministers of Belarus, the United Arab Emirates, Vietnam, Singapore, Cambodia, Chile and the Maldives, as well as the Russian Deputy Defence Minister.
One Western participant said the Gaza crisis was likely to become a major issue in the talks, while China’s efforts to advocate on behalf of the Palestinians were likely to be welcomed by some delegations from the South.
Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun is scheduled to deliver the keynote address on Friday. Dong, a former navy chief who was appointed in December after an anti-corruption drive at the top of the military, criticized Taiwanese “separatists” at this year’s Shangri-La Dialogue.
A Western participant not involved in power politics told Askume that Dong is responsible for China’s military diplomacy but is not part of China’s main military command body, the Central Military Commission, and is seen by Western military officials as a “senior but powerless envoy”.
The defense minister did not attend last year’s forum because Dong’s predecessor, Ri Sang-bok, had been ousted and was under investigation for corruption . In June , Li Keqiang and his predecessor, Wei Fenghe, were both jailed for corruption.Expelled from the party .
