China’s top diplomat to meet European counterparts this week

China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang will visit Germany, France, and Norway this week in an effort to act as a mediator in the Ukraine conflict.

The visit comes two weeks after China’s ambassador to France made comments that drew anger in Europe and threw into question Beijing’s efforts to position itself as neutral in the conflict.

Qin will hold meetings with counterparts from Germany, France, and Norway from Monday to Friday.

The trip follows Chinese President Xi Jinping’s advocacy for peace negotiations with Ukraine during a phone call with Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy in response to the furor over the ambassador’s comments.