BEIJING
French President Emmanuel Macron approached his Chinese partner Xi Jinping Thursday to “carry Russia to its faculties” over Ukraine and asked him not to convey weapons to Moscow.
The French president, who is in Beijing for three days as part of a state visit, has made it clear that he wants to stop China from supporting Russia’s invasion of its neighbor.
During a bilateral meeting, Macron addressed Xi, “I know I can count on you to bring Russia to its senses and everyone to the negotiating table.”
After a formal welcome in Tiananmen Square with a 21-gun salute, the two leaders met on Thursday.
In comments to the press following their gathering, Xi said he “stood prepared to give a joint call with France” for the resumption of “harmony talks straightaway,” as per Chinese state media Xinhua.
He reaffirmed his support for the “solemn pledge that nuclear weapons must not be used” and the “avoid attacking civilians or civilian facilities” for all parties.
Macron’s response was, “In this regard, everyone must be reminded of their duties, especially Russia.”
Macron said next to the Chinese leader that Putin’s recent announcement that he plans to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus “is not consistent with the commitments made to you, to us, and to international law.”
Last month, Xi went to Moscow to reaffirm his alliance with Putin, which was portrayed as an anti-Western facade. However, he has not yet spoken directly with Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine.
A French diplomat said that Xi said he was willing to talk to Zelensky, but only when the time was right.
Following Western claims that Beijing may be contemplating arms shipments to support Russia’s war, the French diplomat added that Macron “pressed Xi Jinping not to deliver anything to Russia that would be used for its war against Ukraine.”
Ursula von der Leyen, chief of the European Commission, welcomed Xi’s willingness to speak with Zelensky while accompanying Macron on his trip.
She expressed that in her own gathering Thursday with Chinese pioneers, she cautioned that arms shipments to Russia would “essentially hurt” relations.
Von der Leyen stated, “There is a big responsibility as a member of the UN Security Council, and we expect that China will play its role and promote a just peace that respects Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, one of the cornerstones of the UN charter.”
Moscow smothered possibilities of intercession, demanding Thursday it had “no decision” however to proceed with its hostile in Ukraine.
Dmitry Peskov, a spokesperson for the Kremlin, stated, “Undoubtedly, China has a very effective and commanding potential for mediation.”
“In any case, the circumstance with Ukraine is perplexing, such a long ways there are no possibilities for a political settlement.”
Macron’s first trip to China since 2019 comes as Western pressure on Beijing to help promote peace in Ukraine increases.
Officially, Beijing is neutral, and Xi has never expressed opposition to the Russian invasion.
Macron said he needs to “be a voice that joins Europe” over Ukraine, and that approaching to China with von der Leyen serves to “underline the consistency of this methodology.”
After Macron spoke with Xi, he had a trilateral meeting with von der Leyen, and then the leaders of France and China had a state dinner.
On Friday, for a meeting with students, Macron will travel to Guangzhou in southern China with a large delegation of prominent politicians, business leaders, and even celebrities, including the composer Jean-Michel Jarre.
The meeting between Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen and US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday in California comes in the wake of growing Chinese pressure on the island.
Taipei and the rest of the world are denied official communication by Beijing, which maintains that there is only “one China.”
China had deployed an aircraft carrier near Taiwan hours before the talks began, and it had issued numerous warnings to both sides that the meeting should not take place.
The Ministry of National Defense of Taiwan announced on Thursday that three additional warships had been observed in the waters that separated the island from China.
The French president is eager to establish a crucial trade partnership, so Macron’s trip has an important economic component as well.
More than fifty prominent businesspeople from France, including executives from Airbus, EDF, and Veolia, are with Macron.
Thursday, Airbus made the announcement that it would open a second final assembly line in China, doubling its production capacity there. CEO Guillaume Faury signed the agreement’s framework in Beijing.
As the middle class grows and demand for air travel rises, Asia has emerged as an important market for both Airbus and Boeing in the United States.
Faury stated, “As the Chinese market keeps growing, it makes a lot of sense for us to be serving local for the Chinese airlines, as well as probably some other customers in the region.”
