China seizes chance to play peacemaker in Ukraine before US vote

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (left) offered to broker better ties between Beijing and Europe during their meeting on July 29, 2024. - Reuters

BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping is stepping up efforts to position himself as a peacemaker for ending Russia’s war in Ukraine, despite growing criticisms from the US and Europe that Beijing is propping up the Kremlin’s battlefield efforts.

With Moscow and Kyiv facing pressure at home and abroad to find a way to end the war, China last week hosted its first senior official from Ukraine since the conflict began in 2022.