Chinese President Xi Jinping may meet his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyi next month . This was revealed by a former Ukrainian official in Beijing at the opening of the largest annual military diplomatic event in China, reports "Reuters".
Alexander Chalii, a former deputy foreign minister, said diplomacy with Beijing had improved and a meeting was now possible.
Noting China's efforts to help restore European security, he pointed out that "now all of us in Ukraine are waiting for some direct contacts between President Zelensky and President Xi.
Beijing has declared itself neutral in Russia's 30-month invasion of Ukraine, but maintains close strategic ties with Moscow and did not join a peace summit hosted by Ukraine in June.
Ukraine's then-foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba met with his Chinese counterpart in Beijing in July, and Zelensky is planning another possible summit in November - this time with Russian participation.
Cui Hongyan, director of the European Studies Department at the China Institute of International Studies, noted that China is open to joining a future summit because it does not want its efforts to "go to waste".
>
"We are ready to do whatever is conducive to peace," Cui said when asked about the prospect of a meeting between Xi and Zelensky.
China wishes to present itself as a responsible player in international conflicts, despite being embroiled in territorial disputes in its "backyard".
The Philippines and China have accused each other of ramming coast guard ships in the South China Sea, and in August Beijing carried out at least two incursions into Japanese airspace and waters.
In addition, China continues to send military aircraft and ships around democratically-ruled Taiwan, which it considers its territory.
Western countries have expressed concern over China's growing military cooperation with Russia and "dangerous actions" in the South China Sea. In July, China and Belarus held joint military exercises a few kilometers from the border of NATO member Poland.
Military tensions between the US and China have stabilized in recent months as regular channels of communication have been reopened after a nearly two-year hiatus, even though Beijing suspended nuclear talks in July.