French President Emmanuel Macron is counting on China's influence in the search for a solution to the Ukraine war. "Russian aggression against Ukraine is a blow to stability," Macron said on Thursday at a meeting with China's head of state Xi Jinping in Beijing. "I know I can count on you to bring Russia back to its senses and bring everyone to the negotiating table," Macron added.
Earlier, the French president said in a Twitter message in Chinese that he was "firmly convinced that China has an important role to play in building peace." He wanted to "discuss and promote" this in his talks.
Xi welcomed his guest on a red carpet in front of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, a journalist told AFP. Subsequently, talks between the two politicians were planned. The Ukraine conflict and the strained relations between China and the European Union are likely to be the focus of attention.
Macron: Position paper shows China's willingness to resolve the conflict
In the discussion about the Ukraine conflict, he wanted to try to "involve China in terms of a shared responsibility for peace and stability," Macron said in a speech the evening before at the US embassy. He referred to the close relations between China and Russia. China has reaffirmed compliance with the UN Charter, including territorial integrity and sovereignty of individual countries. "Defending them also means moving forward together and trying to find a path to peace."
Macron also referred to the Chinese position paper on the Ukraine conflict presented in February: "Do we fully agree with this? No, but it's interesting," Macron said. This shows China's "willingness to engage in resolving the conflict."
The twelve-point document calls for a ceasefire and a resumption of negotiations. However, it had been critically received internationally because it showed no initiative to resolve the conflict, did not condemn the invasion and also reflected the Russian argumentation with criticism of the West.
No decoupling from China
Since the invasion of Ukraine just over a year ago, China has given President Vladimir Putin political backing. The alliance reflects the geostrategic rivalry with the US. The US and NATO are portrayed as the main culprits of the conflict. While Xi Jinping met with Putin in Moscow two weeks ago, there hasn't even been a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi since the war began.
Relations between Europe and China have also fallen to a low point as a result. In addition, there are differences over trade imbalances, human rights violations in China, territorial claims in the East and South China Seas, China's threats against democratic Taiwan, and its more aggressive stance. Against the background of the bad experiences with dependence on Russia, there are growing concerns about the dangers in economic cooperation with the second-largest economy.
Macron spoke out against a decoupling from China. Of course, there is a rivalry with the European Union, but both sides must cooperate on important international issues. EU Commission President von der Leyen made a similar statement: "I believe it is neither feasible nor in Europe's interest to decouple from China. Our relations are not either black or white – and neither can our response. That's why we need to focus on risk mitigation rather than decoupling."
Despite all the concerns, the expansion of economic cooperation between France and China is an important topic of Macron's visit. He will be accompanied by a sixty-strong, high-profile French business delegation – including representatives of the European aircraft manufacturer Airbus, the world's second-largest electricity producer Électricité de France EDF, the train manufacturer Alstom and the waste company and water supplier Veolia.