On April 9, 2026, Ambassador Ma Shengkun visited Odessa at the invitation of the local authorities. During his visit, he met with Odessa’s Acting Mayor Ihor Koval and Andriy Krasnozhon, Rector of the K.D. Ushynsky South Ukrainian State Pedagogical University, toured the university’s Confucius Institute, met with representatives of Chinese students, and attended the “China-Ukraine Spring” cultural event.

During his visit, Ambassador Ma made a special trip to the 7-Kilometer Market to meet with representatives of the Chinese business community in Ukraine. Ambassador Ma highly commended the Chinese business community for having established a strong presence in the Ukrainian market over the years and for their diligent business operations, noting their positive contributions to promoting economic and trade exchanges and people-to-people friendship between China and Ukraine. He urged the Chinese community in Ukraine to prioritize safety precautions, adhere to the law and conduct business with integrity, actively integrate into local society, and play a greater role in fostering people-to-people friendship between China and Ukraine.