For the last three years, China has repeatedly signalled a willingness to act as a peacemaker in the war in Ukraine. There were rounds of shuttle diplomacy by Beijing's envoy to countries from South Africa to Indonesia.

China supports Donald Trump’s bid to strike a deal with Russia to end the war in Ukraine, the country’s foreign minister said. At the G20 summit in South Africa on Thursday, Wang Yi said: “China supports all efforts conducive to peace (in Ukraine), including the recent consensus reached between the United States and Russia.”

Foreign Minister Wang Yi met his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Johannesburg.