During his recent visit to Europe, Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Eurasian Affairs Li Hui called for an immediate ceasefire, while leaving Russia in possession of its new regions, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing officials.

According to the newspaper, the Chinese diplomat carried a clear message: “US allies in Europe should assert their autonomy and urge an immediate ceasefire, leaving Russia in possession of the parts [of Ukraine] <…> that it now occupies.”

According to European officials, Li Hui urged European governments to view China as an economic alternative to Washington and underlined the need to move quickly to end the Ukrainian conflict before it spreads, the WSJ said. For their part, EU officials noted that freezing the conflict was not in their interest, as they told the Chinese diplomat that “it’s impossible to split Europe from America” and that Europe wouldn’t withdraw support from Ukraine.

Earlier on Friday, Li Hui arrived in Moscow. At Russia’s MFA, he will discuss the Ukrainian crisis with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Moscow is on the itinerary of a wider European tour of a delegation of Chinese diplomats with a view to resolving the crisis in Ukraine. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin announced earlier that China’s special envoy would travel to Russia, Germany, Poland, Ukraine, and France. Li Hui visited Kiev on May 16-17.