OREANDA-NEWS  China does not take Russia's side in the Ukrainian conflict, but seeks to play the role of a mediator in resolving the crisis, the Chinese state-run Global Times newspaper writes.

A member of the politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC Central Committee), the head of the office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee Wang Yi, who is on a visit to Moscow, will meet with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday, the Kremlin did not rule out a meeting between Wang and Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier.

According to the publication, some Western media are trying to make a comparison between the United States and China based on the latest diplomatic actions of the two countries and are trying to create the impression that "the two largest economies are choosing a side between two warring parties." However, the newspaper notes, Western media deliberately ignore China's contacts with other parties on the eve of Wang Yi's visit to Russia and "try to downplay or misinterpret China's mediation efforts." During a meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba in Munich on Saturday, Wang Yi stressed that China does not want to prolong and expand the Ukrainian crisis. Kuleba, in turn, noted that Ukraine attaches great importance to China's position on the political settlement of the crisis and expects that China will continue to play a constructive role.

"This proves once again that China is making efforts to mediate, and is not playing a game of block confrontation with Russia," Cui Heng, a junior researcher at the Center for Russian Studies at East China Pedagogical University, told the publication.

According to Zhang Hong, a junior researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Wang Yi's visit to Russia is dedicated to the development of relations with Russia, and not just the Ukrainian crisis.