Ahead of his historic visit to Beijing, French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday he wanted to “engage China toward a shared responsibility for peace” in Ukraine.
Macron is accompanied by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in a show of European unity in dealing with Beijing.
Will China change its stand?
French officials said earlier Macron had planned to use Beijing’s influence with Russian President Vladimir Putin to urge Xi in talks on Thursday but did not expect a major change in the Chinese position.
In a speech to French residents of China, Macron said he would “try to build and somehow engage China towards a shared responsibility for peace and stability on international issues”, including Ukraine, Iran and North Korea.
Dialogue with China is inevitable: Macron
Macron expressed hope that China would “participate in initiatives that are useful to the Ukrainian people.” “Negotiations with China are inevitable,” Macron said during the event at the French embassy. Xi’s government views Russia as a source of energy and a partner in opposing US dominance in global affairs.
Xi and Putin’s friendship
Xi and Putin declared that their governments had a “friendship without borders” ahead of Moscow’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Beijing has refused to criticize the Kremlin but has tried to appear neutral and has called for a ceasefire and peace talks.
Chinese influence
China is the biggest buyer of Russian oil and gas, helping to boost the Kremlin’s revenue in the face of Western sanctions. This increases Chinese influence, but Xi appears reluctant to jeopardize that partnership by pressuring Putin.
Macron referred to Putin’s announcement that Moscow planned to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, which China opposes.
Macron said, “Territorial integrity, sovereignty of nations are part of the Charter of the United Nations”, which China ratified.
“Defending those principles means moving forward together and trying to find a way to peace,” Macron said. towards conflict resolution. ,
European Union’s apprehension on China
Last week, von der Leyen warned that the EU must be prepared to develop measures to protect trade and investment that China could exploit for its own security and military purposes.
Thierry Breton, the EU commissioner for the internal market, on Monday appeared on French news broadcaster FranceInfo in a message to Chinese officials that they should “stop trying to play one country against another.”
Macron also said that “several major deals” were to be signed between French and Chinese companies during the visit. He was accompanied by more than 50 French CEOs, including Airbus, railway equipment maker Alstom and energy giant EDF. A French official said last week talks were underway over a possible deal with Airbus that would come on top of a 2019 order from China for 300 planes.
Macron said he would push for “working in partnership” with China on the climate. He said that France will organize a global conference on conservation of oceans in 2025 and added that China should be part of these efforts.
(with AP input)