China's Xi has a peace plan for Ukraine. What's in it?

Earlier this month, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban visited Moscow and Beijing on a "peace mission" to find a solution to the war in Ukraine. According to the Associated Press, "Orban said he was seeking the quickest path to peace in Ukraine and portrayed himself as uniquely positioned to communicate with both warring parties."

For the next six months, Hungary holds the rotating presidency of the European Union Council. But several European member states are wary of Orban's close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin and China's Xi Jinping.

They believe Orban "was acting on behalf of the 27-member bloc" without informing them, and "worried that he was undermining EU unity on support for Ukraine," officials told the AP.

The Hungarian premier has been critical of Western military aid to Ukraine, putting him at odds with several EU members, as well as the European Commission, who said their top officials will boycott informal meetings in Hungary and send civil servants instead.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen referred to Orban's recent visit to Moscow, in particular, as an "appeasement mission."

In May, Orban endorsed President Xi's 12-point peace plan during the latter's visit to Budapest.

"Today, Europe is on the side of war," Orban said during his joint press conference with Xi. "The only exception is Hungary, which calls for an immediate ceasefire and peace negotiations and supports all international efforts that point towards peace ... We also support the Chinese peace initiative presented by Xi Jinping," he added.

According to Chinese media, Xi told Orban that "the international community should create conditions for the resumption of direct dialogue and negotiations between the two sides and provide assistance," Xi was reported to have said to Orban. "It is in the interests of all parties to seek a political solution through an early ceasefire," he added.

China's peace plan

In February 2023, following several meetings between Chinese and Russian officials, a 12-point paper titled, "China's Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukrainian Crisis," was released by China's foreign ministry.

It covered basic points such as respecting the sovereignty of all countries, resuming peace talks after ceasing hostilities, protecting civilians and prisoners of war, and promoting post-conflict reconstruction. Moreover, it opposed the threat or proliferation of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons.

The document also called on "abandoning the Cold War mentality," urging countries to "oppose the pursuit of one's own security at the cost of others' security, prevent bloc confrontation, and work together for peace and stability on the Eurasian Continent."

It encouraged the implementation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, signed by Russia, Türkiye, Ukraine and the UN, to ensure food security, and discouraged unilateral sanctions that would disrupt "international cooperation in energy, finance, food trade and transportation and undermine the global economic recovery."

Soon after the paper was published, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed China's efforts. He added that there were some points in the plan he didn’t agree with, "but it's something."

However, more recently, he took a dig at Orban by warning EU leaders: "(Putin) may try to approach you or go to some of your partners individually, trying to tempt or pressure you, to blackmail you, so that one of you betrays the rest – weakening our unity."