Papal envoy Cardinal Matteo Zuppi will be in China from Wednesday to Friday this week as part of a diplomatic effort to achieve peace in Ukraine, the Vatican said, confirming earlier Italian media reports.
"The visit represents a further stage in the mission desired by the Pope to support humanitarian initiatives and the search for paths that can lead to a just peace", the Vatican said in a statement on Tuesday.
The cardinal already visited Kyiv and Moscow in June and traveled to Washington the following month as part of his attempts to facilitate a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia.
Delegation to Beijing
Italian daily La Repubblica said Zuppi was likely to meet "top institutional leaders" in Beijing, including Chinese Premier Li Qiang.
The Vatican statement did not give details about his agenda.