Envoy-EU Must 'Return To Right Track Of Dialogue' Amid Sanctions Row

(MNI) London - Wires carrying comments from Chinese Special Envoy for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui. Li states that "China firmly opposes the EU's inclusion of Chinese companies in the latest sanctions list against Russia." Adds that he "Urges the EU to unconditionally cancel the list of Chinese companies and return to the right track of dialogue and consultation with China." Thepackages introduced by the EU as well as the US and UK in late-Feb included adding Chinese firms accused of enabling Russia to circumvent existing sanctions to the list of sanctioned entities.

• On 3 March, Li was in Moscow for meetings with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin. While there he talked up China's hopes for a negotiated settlement to end the war in Ukraine, stating "History shows that conflicts in the end have to be settled through dialogue and negotiation. The more acute the problem is, the more important it is not to give up efforts for dialogue."
• Moscow marked the first leg of atour for Li, who landed in Brussels on 4 March and goes on to visit Paris, Berlin, Warsaw, and finally Kyiv. Ukraine is seen as more keen to engage with China as a mediator than the EU is, with Beijing's role as an important influence on the 'global South' valued highly by Kyiv.
• The strong words from Li come as the EU's trade deficit with China slips. Euracitv reports that this is not down the the largely trailed 'de-risking' of the EU, but via Chinese import substitution.