French President Emmanuel Macron said after talks Thursday in Beijing with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, a close ally of Moscow, stressing that he “relies” on him to “bring Russia to its senses.” President Ursula von der Leyen wants to convey Europe’s voice on the conflict. In Ukraine, he hopes that the Chinese presidency will play a mediating role in achieving peace. “I know that I can count on you to bring Russia back to its senses and everyone to the negotiating table,” the French President confirmed during an official bilateral meeting with Jinping.
On the other hand, the official China Central Television quoted President Jinping as saying that Beijing and Paris have the ability and responsibility to overcome “differences” and “limitations” while the world is undergoing great historical changes, adding that Sino-French relations have deteriorated. maintained a positive and sustainable trend.
Macron had a one-on-one meeting with his Chinese counterpart before European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen joined them in a tripartite meeting to express Europe’s views on the conflict in Ukraine, which has been going on for more than a year. In recent weeks, international pressure has increased on China to engage in peace efforts within the Ukraine conflict. Despite Beijing’s official declaration of neutrality in this regard, Xi Jinping did not condemn the Russian invasion or speak out over the phone with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky .Shortly before, the Chinese President visited Moscow, where he renewed his alliance with Russian President Vladimir Putin. On Wednesday, the first day of his state visit, the French president felt that Beijing could play “a big role in finding a path leading to peace” in Ukraine, citing a 12-point paper published by Beijing in February on China’s position.
Ursula von der Leyen, for her part, issued a sharper warning last week in Brussels, saying: “How China continues to deal with Putin’s war will be a decisive factor in future relations between the European Union and China.” .”
Marc Julien of the French Institute of International Affairs (Ifri) assessed: “After giving this speech, she was clearly within the reach of Beijing because she presented a relatively strict vision of Beijing that differs from that of Emmanuel Macron.” let’s see how they distribute the roles”, given that the firm position of the European official “may block attention to Emmanuel Macron”. the role of good cop and bad cop in Beijing will immediately weaken the European united front narrative.”
