Wang Yi's trips to the three European countries are scheduled for September 12 to 16 and will involve talks with counterparts, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian announced at a regular news conference.

The diplomatic tour comes at a particularly sensitive time for the war in Ukraine, where fighting continues more than three years after Russia's invasion.

Beijing has never denounced Russia's war nor called for it to withdraw its troops, and many of Ukraine's allies believe China has provided support to Moscow.

China insists it is a neutral party, regularly calling for an end to the fighting while also accusing Western countries of prolonging the conflict by arming Ukraine.

Earlier Wednesday, Poland said it had scrambled aircraft alongside allies to shoot down "hostile objects" violating its airspace during a Russian attack on Ukraine, a first for a NATO country during the war.

Asked about the matter at Wednesday's news conference, Lin replied he was "not aware" of the situation.

In response to another question about Wang's upcoming visit to Poland, Lin hailed China's "traditional friendship" with the country.

He added that Wang and his counterpart would exchange views on topics including "China-Poland relations, China-Europe relations and international and regional issues of common concern".