Ukraine and Taiwan: Can China square the circle?

THE hour-long phone call between Xi Jinping and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Kyiv's wartime president, followed by Beijing's appointment of a senior diplomat to be dispatched to Ukraine and other countries "for in-depth communication with all parties" has marginally improved China's chance to be considered a serious candidate for mediator, given its close ties to Russia.

China's recent success in bringing about a deal under which Iran and Saudi Arabia resumed diplomatic ties after years of estrangement also helped to give it credibility.