Chinese Secretary General Xi Jinping had an hourlong phone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on April 26. The talks, in which Xi urged for a peaceful outcome to the Ukraine War, were “long and meaningful,” according to Zelenskyy.

China is advocating for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. That is the “only way out” of war, Xi said. That sounds nice, but what is really going on?

A month before talking to Zelenskyy, Xi was in Moscow, Russia. China hasn’t condemned the war on Ukraine or applied any sanctions against Russia. In fact, China is actually helping fund the war on Ukraine by increasing imports of Russian oil.

Regardless, Zelenskyy has long desired an audience with President Xi. Immediately after they spoke, he appointed a former cabinet minister as ambassador to China. In turn, China pledged to send special envoys to Ukraine to assist in peace negotiations.

Why is Ukraine so eager to accept China’s role as mediator? Because of China’s very recent history as peace broker.

In 2016, the predominantly Sunni Saudi Arabia executed a Shiite cleric, incensing Iran whose protesters stormed Saudi Arabia’s embassy. Saudi Arabia’s entire policy of nuclear buildup is based on Iran’s—every time Iran gets closer to a bomb, Saudi Arabia eagerly works to be ready to produce its own.

But last month, China successfully brought Iran and Saudi Arabia to the negotiating table. Their foreign ministers met in Beijing and agreed to reopen their respective embassies and resume normal relations.

Two theocratic nations with conflicting ideologies and a lot of bad blood were brought to the table by an atheist nation from the East. All of this happened in an area that used to be in America’s sphere of influence. What’s more, America was happy to let it happen. Now, the same thing could happen in Ukraine. United States National Security Council coordinator John Kirby said Xi’s having a conversation with Zelenskyy was a “good thing.”

If this were completely limited to peace, then perhaps that would be true. But this isn’t just about peace in Ukraine. It is about altering the global hierarchy of power that has existed for nearly a century.

Xi told Russian President Vladimir Putin last month: “Right now, there are changes, the likes of which we haven’t seen for 100 years—and we are the ones driving these changes together.”

“I agree,” replied Putin.

It remains to be seen whether China will manage to broker temporary peace between Russia and Ukraine. Reportedly on May 3, Russia blamed Ukraine for two drones that crashed into the Kremlin. Tensions are still incredibly high.

Trumpet readers will know what we’ve said about Russia’s insatiable desire to control Ukraine. But we’ve also written about the desire that nations like Russia and China have to end the decades-long American global hegemony. That desire isn’t surprising. What is surprising though is the fact that the United States seems fine with letting that happen.

Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry wrote in the May-June issue, “America will not be the decisive factor in” the Ukraine war. This is because we are now entering a time that Jesus Christ warned of in the Bible: “the times of the Gentiles” (Luke 21:24). For an explanation, read “What Are the Times of the Gentiles?”

While Israel in end-time prophecy refers mainly to the United States and Britain, the term “Gentile” refers to non-Israelites, including Russia. Prophecy shows that as the modern Israelite nations decline, Gentile nations will become the dominant world powers.

“Prophecy shows that when men like Vladimir Putin rise, the world is entering a very dangerous time!” Mr. Flurry wrote. “God describes the men who lead such powers as ‘beasts’—they think like wild animals, wanting to conquer, pillage, burn and destroy. As the U.S. falls in power, it is being replaced by leaders who act like wild, raging beasts!”

For decades, America has been the undisputed global superpower. But now it is abdicating its position. It considers nations like China taking the lead “a good thing.” But one look at what China has done to Tibetans and Uyghur Muslims or what Russia is doing to Ukraine shows just what this new era will mean for the world.

Read Mr. Flurry’s article “The Climax of Man’s Rule Over Man” to learn what this era will mean for you.