Newsman: The France President Emanuel Macron arrived in Beijing on his three days state visit to China Wednesday. The two leaders met Thursday after a formal welcome ceremony in Tiananmen Square, complete with a 21-gun salute.
Macron made clear that he is seeking to dissuade China from supporting Russia’s invasion of its neighbor “I know I can count on you to bring Russia to its senses and everyone to the negotiating table,” Macron told Xi during a bilateral meeting.
In remarks to the press following their meeting, Xi said he “stood ready to issue a joint call with France” for the resumption of “peace talks as soon as possible”, according to Chinese state media Xinhua.
He reiterated his support of the “solemn pledge that nuclear weapons must not be used” and for all parties to “avoid attacking civilians or civilian facilities”.
“In this regard, everyone must be reminded of their duties, especially Russia,” Macron replied.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has given French President Emmanuel Macron an unusually lavish welcome on a state visit according to some analysts and see as a sign of Beijing’s growing offensive to woo key allies within the European Union to counter the United States.
The two leaders visited southern China together on Friday, where Macron was due to drink Chinese tea with Xi in a former residence of his father in the city of Guangzhou, capital of the economic and manufacturing powerhouse of Guangdong province.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, who is accompanying Macron on his visit, welcomed Xi’s openness to speaking with Zelensky. Macron and Ursula von der Leyen both are pressuring China on Ukraine.
She said that in her own meeting Thursday with Chinese leaders, she warned that arms shipments to Russia would “significantly harm” relations.
“As a member of the UN Security Council, there is a big responsibility and we expect that China will play its role and promote a just peace, one that respects Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, one of the cornerstones of the UN charter,” von der Leyen said.
Chinese leader Xi expressed a willingness to speaking with Zelensky, but only when the time is right according to media report quoting a French diplomat..
Macron “pressed Xi Jinping not to deliver anything to Russia that would be used for its war against Ukraine”, added the French diplomat, following Western claims that Beijing could be mulling arms shipments to support Russia’s war.
In his opening remarks at talks in Beijing on Thursday, Macron said Russia had “put an end to decades of peace in Europe” and that finding a “lasting peace” that respected internationally recognized borders was “an important issue for China, as much as it is for France and for Europe.”
Speaking to reporters alongside Macron, Xi said China was ready to “issue a joint call” with France for the international community to “exercise restraint” and “avoid taking actions that might cause the crisis to further deteriorate.”
He then went on to reiterate China’s existing position on the war, including calling for peace talks and opposition to the use of nuclear weapons – while reiterating that the “legitimate security concerns” of “all parties” should be taken into consideration – a phrase long seen as a nod to Russian interests.
Macron, speaking roughly twice as long as Xi in his following remarks, stressed a need for discussion “with everyone” including Russia. “We do not simply want an end to the conflict, but respect for Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity, which is the only condition for lasting peace,” he said.
Macron arrived in Beijing on Wednesday with high expectations for a possible breakthrough on working with China to find solutions to end Russia’s war on Ukraine.
The French president traveling in China with a delegation of roughly 50 business leaders, with some expected to finalize or even sign new deals during the trip.
The Chinese president said during the talks that Macron’s visit would “inject new impetus” to China-Europe relations, according to Chinese state media CCTV.
Xi said the two countries “have the ability and responsibility to transcend differences and constraints,” citing common work on climate change and African development, CCTV reported.
