Kubiv made the proposal with the backing of President Poroshenko

Kubiv made the proposal with the backing of President Poroshenko. In a letter he delivered to Liu, Poroshenko said China and Ukraine have “today created a strong foundation” in bilateral relations and “it’s time to start a new phase in developing the relations between our people.” After the meeting, Kubov posted on Facebook that China is a natural next step, writing: “There is a new free trade agreement with Canada, completed free trade negotiations with Israel. We are completing negotiations with Turkey.” China’s reaction is unclear. Xinhua’s report, headlined “Chinese vice premier meets Ukraine’s first deputy PM,” did not mention Ukraine’s free trade proposal.