China’s new ambassador to Kyiv has voiced “full confidence” in deeper bilateral ties, as the Ukraine war escalates and US support to the former Soviet state becomes uncertain under Donald Trump.
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Ma Shengkun, former deputy director general of the Chinese foreign ministry’s arms control department, assumed his post on Wednesday, according to the embassy.
He replaces Fan Xianrong, who held the role since February 2020.
China and Ukraine established diplomatic ties in 1992, a year after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
In a written statement delivered upon his arrival, Ma hailed the past three decades as a time when “political mutual trust [had] been continuously strengthened, pragmatic cooperation yielded fruitful results, and cultural exchanges [were] active and vibrant”.
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“China and Ukraine are traditional friendly partners … and I am full of confidence in the prospects for the deepened development of bilateral relations,” the embassy quoted him as saying.