Ukrainian and Chinese delegations meet for political consultations in Beijing.

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On June 5, Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha met with Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Sun Weidong for political consultations, as reported by Ukraine's press service of the Foreign Ministry. "The sides discussed the issues on the bilateral agenda, outlined the steps to intensify contacts at the highest levels, to strengthen positive dynamics in trade and economic cooperation, as well as to develop further interaction within the framework of international organizations," the press service said. The ministry also reported that both parties emphasized the importance of upholding the principles of the UN Charter and international law.

The Ukrainian delegation urged China to attend the upcoming Global Peace Summit in Switzerland. Sybiha briefed Weidong on Ukraine's current situation as well as the preparations underway for the summit. Ukraine invited China to the peace summit back in January, but Beijing indicated it would not attend as the terms the Chinese government required to attend were not met.

The Chinese proposal is presented as an alternative to President Volodymyr Zelensky's peace plan, which is backed by Kyiv's Western partners and will be discussed at the peace summit on June 15-16 in the Burgenstock resort in Switzerland.

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China has become a key lifeline for Russia's economy after the West sought to wean off Russian fossil fuels in the wake of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Beijing is now using Moscow's growing dependency to gain advantageous conditions on the Power of Siberia 2 pipeline, the FT wrote.