President Emmanuel Macron met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing as the French leader seeks to dissuade China from supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Macron said this at a high-level meeting held in Beijing, on Thursday, April 6, 2023.
Macron had said in a speech in the capital that Beijing can play a “major role” in finding a path to peace in the conflict and welcomed China’s “willingness to commit to a resolution”.
The French president, who arrived on Wednesday for a three-day state visit, shook hands with Xi outside the Great Hall of the People, the heart of power in the capital.
Xi greeted his guest on a huge red carpet lined by Chinese and French flags as the countries’ national anthems played, an AFP journalist said.
Western pressure is mounting on China to help push for peace in Ukraine.
Though Beijing is officially neutral, Xi has never condemned the Russian invasion.
While he recently went to Moscow to reaffirm his alliance with Putin — framed as an anti-Western front — Xi has not even spoken on the phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Macron, who is accompanied on his visit by European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, said he wants to “be a voice that unites Europe” over Ukraine, and that coming to China with her serves to “underline the consistency of this approach”.
In a Thursday morning meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the Great Hall of the People, Macron stressed the importance of dialogue between China and France “in these troubled times”.
“The ability to share a common analysis and build a common path is essential,” he said.
After Macron’s talks with Xi, the pair will give statements to the press, followed by a three-way meeting with von der Leyen and, finally, a state dinner.