Vita Golod has not lost hope in China as a peace mediator. The Ukrainian sinologist is certain that Beijing is waiting for the right moment. „Both sides have to be willing to negotiate,“ – that’s the main narrative of the Chinese scholars that visited Kyiv recently, says Golod. She has been the chairwoman of the Board of the Ukrainian Association of Sinologists since 2019. The association is an independent think-tank with a 20-year history and unites more than 200 members studying China and promoting knowledge on China and Ukraine-China relations. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, many events have only been possible online – but she has been used to that since the Covid pandemic, says Golod. Still, she would prefer to have more personal exchanges again.