China's Special Envoy to Visit Ukraine and Russia for Peace Mission

China's special envoy on Eurasian affairs, Li Hui, will visit Ukraine, Russia, France, Germany, and Poland next week to discuss the political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis. Despite being Moscow's top ally, Chinese President Xi Jinping has sought to position Beijing as a peace broker between Ukraine and Russia, introducing a 12-point peace plan as a basis for negotiations. However, the EU and NATO have been critical of Beijing's attempts to pose as a middleman, raising doubts over China's ability to be a neutral intermediary.