As Ukraine scrambles to keep international support with Russia's invasion grinding into a third year, its leader has made clear one country he would like to see join his push for peace: China. Ratcheting up pressure on Beijing – Moscow's most powerful political ally – appeared as a key talking point for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other officials this week during a gathering of the global elite in Switzerland's Davos. There, Zelensky told reporters he would "very much like China to be involved" in Ukraine's peace plan. His foreign minister said the country wanted more contact with China at "all levels," Interfax-Ukraine reported, while Zelensky's chief of staff left the door open that the wartime leader could even meet China's top delegate on the gathering's sidelines. But Chinese Premier Li Qiang appeared to depart the World Economic Forum earlier this week without meeting Zelensky – and didn't directly address the conflict in a roughly 25-minute speech that focused heavily on reassuring his audience about China's faltering economy. Even as Chinese officials last year ramped up efforts to present the country as a potential peace broker in the war, analysts say it's unlikely Beijing sees now as the time to leverage its deep and growing Russia ties to ramp up a push for its end – especially on Ukraine's terms. "China thinks it is already playing an important role in moving toward peace. It's just the Chinese version of peace is not what Zelensky wants to see," said Yun Sun, director of the China program at the Washington-based Stimson Center think tank. Last year, after Chinese leader Xi Jinping spoke to Zelensky for the first time some 14 months after the war began, Beijing dispatched an envoy to both Kyiv and Moscow. It has also released its own proposal for peace, which unlike Ukraine's demands, calls for a ceasefire without the prior withdrawal of Russian troops illegally occupying Ukrainian territory. Now, the latest events at Davos spotlight China's wait-and-see approach when it comes to any further push to bring the war to a close, analysts say, as fighting remains locked in stalemate with neither side giving signs of backing down – and another major conflict, in the Middle East, draws global attention. "China previously might have wanted to mediate because it didn't want Russia to lose too badly. But now there is less worry on that front … China has more incentive to observe how battlefield development will evolve, which will form the foundation for any (peace) negotiation," according to Sun. "Now that the US is distracted by Gaza and the resources available to Ukraine are more limited, things have shifted in Russia's favor. There is even less reason for China to 'advance a fair peace as advocated by the West and Ukraine,'" she said. Read more on China's response to the war in Gaza. More on China's foreign policy ambitions: - China has a sweeping vision to reshape the world — and countries are listening
- Xi Jinping hails Russia cooperation as record trade beats $200 billion target
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Eileen Gu knows what it's like to stand on her own. Whether it be at the top of a skiing course before a run or as the trailblazing figure she is, Gu's blossoming career is a testament to her resilience. And her next mountain to climb is the Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Gangwon, South Korea – which begin this Friday – with an eye firmly set on the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. Representing China, Gu became the youngest-ever Olympic champion in freestyle skiing at the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022 at just 18. "I think that athletics have enriched my life to such a profound degree, not only in terms of my physical well-being, but also my mental and my spiritual well-being," said Gu. "It's taught me how to cope with fear. It's definitely taught me hard lessons, but lessons that I really wouldn't be able to learn elsewhere about resilience, about sportsmanship. And that's something that can transcend any kind of barrier: race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion, etc." Read more about Gu's journey. |
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| It has been a year since China reopened its borders, but despite loosening its stringent Covid-19 restrictions, foreign travelers have been slow to return to the country with numbers down more than 60% from pre-pandemic levels. China's border authorities recorded 35.5 million entries and exits by foreign nationals in 2023, according to the National Immigration Administration. That's nearly seven times more than the number from 2022, when the country was deep in its three-year self-imposed Covid isolation. The 2023 figure is just 36% of the 97.7 million border entries and exits by foreign nationals recorded in 2019, suggesting a long road to full recovery, though momentum picked up toward the end of the year. More than half of the border crossings made by foreign travelers in 2023 were recorded in the last three months of the year, according to data from the National Immigration Administration. Meanwhile, the number of foreign nationals residing in China has rebounded to 85% of the level it was at the end of 2019, Zhang Ning, a spokeswoman for the administration, said at a news briefing Thursday. Chinese authorities issued a total of 711,000 residency permits to foreign nationals in 2023, Zhang added. The latest figures come amid a flurry of attempts by Beijing to lure back foreign tourists and visitors as it seeks ways to boost a sluggish economy. This week, China agreed to grant unilateral visa-free entry to citizens of Switzerland and Ireland, after Chinese Premier Li Qiang visited both countries as part of his European trip to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos. The announcements add to a series of visa-free treatments China has offered to European and Asian countries over the past months, in a bid to boost weak consumption and business ties. In November, Beijing announced a trial program to allow visitors from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia to enter visa-free for 15 days. The policy, which started in December, is set to last 12 months till the end of November this year. Read the full story here. — From CNN's Nectar Gan |
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More than 5,000 electric vehicles were loaded onto a giant shipping carrier in China this week and sent to ports in Europe. The cars come from BYD, the Chinese carmaker that is backed by Warren Buffett and has surpassed Tesla as the world's biggest seller of electric vehicles (EVs). The automaker enlisted the massive vessel, dubbed "BYD Explorer No. 1," to ferry its exports from the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen to Germany and the Netherlands on its maiden voyage, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua. It's a striking visual example of the growing heft of BYD, which has conquered its home market but now needs to navigate new roads to maintain its momentum. To do so, two countries will be crucial: Hungary and Mexico. While neither is a vast car market, they could serve as gateways to Europe and North America, bolstering the company's quest to truly become a global household name. BYD has started making inroads in both places. In December, it pledged to open a factory in Hungary, which will be its first production plant for passenger cars in Europe. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's government has said it is one of the largest investments in the country's history, and will create thousands of jobs in the southern city of Szeged. The company is also considering setting up shop in Mexico. It has expressed its interest in building a plant in the country, though as of January, no plans have been officially confirmed, a source with knowledge of the matter in the government of the southeastern state of Yucatán told CNN. BYD Mexico did not respond to a request for comment. Experts say that expanding in Hungary and Mexico will help the Shenzhen-based company gain footholds on opposite sides of the Atlantic while avoiding hefty tariffs. The plans might also help BYD navigate a tough geopolitical environment, particularly as some European politicians grow increasingly wary of what's been deemed a "flood" of Chinese EVs. Read more about the two new trade conduits. — From CNN's Michelle Toh |
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