Ukraine's Volodymr Zelensky says he has had a "long and meaningful" phone call with China's Xi Jinping, their first contact since Russia's war began.
He said on Twitter he believed the call, along with the appointment of an ambassador to Beijing, would "give a powerful impetus to the development of our bilateral relations".
China confirmed the call, adding that it "always stood on the side of peace".
Unlike the West, Beijing has sought to appear neutral on the Russian invasion.
But it has never hidden its close ties to Moscow, or condemned the invasion, and last month President Xi paid a two-day state visit to Russia.