Xi Plans to Speak With Zelensky

Chinese enjoy going around the world and disrupting American plans. Americans are precisely balancing local powers: Iran against Saudis, Kyiv against Moscow. Chinese show up with their economic gravitas and stop this balancing just for enjoyment of the disruption. Mr. Xi can tell Mr. Zelensky that in case a compromise is not accepted the Chinese lethal help will start flowing to Moscow. Nothing to sneeze at for Mr. Zelensky.

"SINGAPORE -- Chinese leader Xi Jinping plans to speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for the first time since the start of the Ukraine conflict, likely after he visits Moscow next week to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to people familiar with the matter.

The meetings with Messrs. Putin and Zelensky, the latter of which is expected to take place virtually, reflect Beijing's effort to play a more active role in mediating an end to the conflict, some of the people said.

Mr. Xi is considering visiting other European countries as part of his trip to Russia, though his full itinerary hasn't been confirmed, the people said.

A direct conversation with Mr. Zelensky, if it happens, would mark a significant step in Beijing's efforts to play peacemaker in Ukraine, which have so far been met with skepticism in Europe. It also would bolster Beijing's credentials as a global power broker after it facilitated a surprise diplomatic breakthrough between Saudi Arabia and Iran last week.

The new surge of diplomacy reflects a conviction on the part of Mr. Xi and the Communist Party that China can offer an alternative to the U.S.-led model of international relations by relying on commercial ties rather than military might to sway the decisions of other countries.

An expansion of Beijing's diplomatic clout also offers potential leverage against what Mr. Xi criticized last week as a Cold War-style, U.S.-led campaign of "all-round containment, encirclement and suppression" against China.

The overseas trip would mark Mr. Xi's first after he secured an unprecedented third term as China's head of state. It comes as the 69-year-old leader seeks to burnish his status as a global statesman and navigate escalating competition with the U.S. and its allies.

China's Foreign Ministry didn't respond to a request for comment. A Ukrainian presidential administration official said the call hadn't been confirmed, and its timing was still unclear.

The White House said the U.S. has encouraged Mr. Xi to reach out to Mr. Zelensky to "hear directly the Ukrainian perspective and not just the Russian perspective" on the conflict.

"That would be a good thing, because it would potentially bring more balance and perspective to the way that the PRC is approaching this," President Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Monday, referring to the People's Republic of China.

Mr. Xi's travel schedule is intended in part to capitalize on momentum from the Saudi-Iran deal, signed in Beijing, which marked the end of seven years of estrangement, according to some of the people. That agreement heralded a notable rise in China's influence in the Middle East, which previously was dominated by the U.S.

The bridge-building effort marked the first time that Beijing has intervened so directly in the Mideast's political rivalries, and was its first time successfully brokering such a deal.

China's last ambitious effort to play the role of global peacemaker came in the early 2000s, when it launched six-party talks aimed at curtailing North Korea's nuclear weapons program in exchange for aid. The talks, which included the U.S., failed in 2008 when North Korea withdrew despite relying heavily on economic support from Beijing.

Achieving a breakthrough in Ukraine would be a taller task than the Saudi-Iran deal, especially as both sides in the conflict believe too much remains to be played out on the battlefield. Neither has shown an inclination to stop fighting.

Beijing nevertheless has an active interest in bringing an end to the conflict. The conflict has put Beijing in a precarious situation, forcing Mr. Xi to balance China's "no limits" partnership with Russia and his own close relationship with Mr. Putin against increasing distrust and tension with the U.S. and its allies.

Last month, China cast itself as a neutral mediator in calling for a cease-fire and peace talks to end the conflict. In a 12-point document, China's Foreign Ministry called for the pursuit of a political solution to the conflict and an end to unilateral sanctions. It also appeared to warn Moscow against escalating the conflict with nuclear weapons.

Moscow said it shared Beijing's views of the conflict and welcomed China's peace proposal.

China officially regards Ukraine as a sovereign nation, and Messrs. Xi and Zelensky had a phone call to mark 30 years of relations between the two nations just weeks before the recent events in Ukraine started.

Yet Beijing has refrained from condemning Russian military action in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian administration official said Kyiv was cautiously receptive to China's possible involvement and to certain parts of Beijing's 12-point document. "It's a plan that opens space for discussion," the official said. He added that Kyiv had asked several times for a call between Mr. Zelensky and Mr. Xi, but so far its requests failed to get a response." [1]

1. World News: Xi Plans to Speak With Zelensky --- Virtual meeting -- likely after China's leader visits Putin -- would be first since conflict began
Zhai, Keith.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 14 Mar 2023: A.9.