China will send a special envoy to Ukraine, Russia, and other European nations from May 15. Li Hui, China's ambassador to Russia from 2009 to 2019, is the highest-ranking Chinese diplomat to visit Ukraine since Moscow's large-scale invasion last year. From Ukraine to the Middle East, Beijing in recent months has sought to position itself as a mediator with a leading role in solving the world's crises. But while China says it is a neutral party on the Ukraine war, it has been criticised for refusing to condemn Moscow for the invasion. More than a year into the war, Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky by phone last month.