Chinese President Xi Jinping and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron review an honor guard during the official welcoming ceremony in Beijing April 6, 2023. LUDOVIC MARIN / AFP
“I know I can count on you to bring Russia to their senses and bring everyone to the negotiating table” to end the Ukraine conflict, Emmanuel Macron told his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Thursday, March 6 during a talk at the People’s Palace in Beijing.
After all the ceremonies of a state visit – reception before the troops near Tiananmen Square, national anthems, 21 cannon shots – the two leaders tried to show some convergence of views. We need “a resumption of talks as soon as possible in order to build a lasting peace”, estimated Emmanuel Macron at the end of the interview, while Xi Jinping called for “a resumption of peace talks as soon as possible”.
“Nuclear weapons must not be used,” underscored the Chinese leader, who condemned any “attack on civilians” and any “use of biological and chemical weapons.”
“In this regard, everyone must be reminded of their obligations, especially Russia, which recently announced that it wants to station such” nuclear “weapons in Belarus, “which does not comply with the obligations that you have made to us and international law,” he added French President added and addressed the press alongside Xi Jinping.
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Moscow is hostile to mediation
When he did not say so in front of the journalists, according to a French diplomat, Emmanuel Macron also “urged Xi Jinping not to provide Russia with anything that would help its war against Ukraine”.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who was also present at a trilateral meeting following the tete-a-tete between the two heads of state, was even more explicit: “Arming the aggressor would violate international law and would significantly damage our relationship,” she warned.
Xi Jinping also said he was ready to call his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who hopes we have been assured on the French side, although he indicated he would do so if he chose to do so. A gesture of openness, yet to be confirmed, but classified as “positive” by the European leader.
International pressure has escalated in recent weeks to urge China to join the quest for peace. However, the Kremlin on Thursday ruled out the possibility of Chinese mediation to stop the fighting because “the situation with Ukraine is complex, there are no prospects for a political solution.”
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When Beijing says it is neutral, Xi Jinping has never condemned the Russian invasion or even spoken to Mr. Zelenskyy on the phone. Conversely, he recently traveled to Moscow to reaffirm his partnership with Russian President Vladimir Putin under the guise of an anti-Western front.
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difference in tone
“China has clearly not moved. The goal is for China to do what it says, which is not the case at the moment,” Antoine Bondaz, a researcher at the Foundation for Strategic Research, reacted to AFP on Thursday. In this context, Emmanuel Macron has the ambition to be “a voice that unites Europe”, which is why he says he has invited the President of the European Commission to accompany him.
Her tone matched what she had said over the past few days. The French President, who judged the previous day that Beijing could play an “important role” in the “search for a path to peace” in Ukraine, on Thursday insisted on the “importance” of the “dialogue”, considering that that we “engage in that results when you are respectful are better than when you teach”.
For her part, Ursula von der Leyen issued a much sharper warning last week in Brussels: “The manner in which China continues to react to Putin’s war will be a decisive factor for the future of ‘EU-China’ relations.
This visit comes amid renewed tensions over Taiwan, just after the meeting in the United States between Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
“Fixed Measures”
On Thursday, Beijing pledged “firm and forceful action,” and authorities on the island, which wants to recapture China, immediately announced they had spotted three warships and a Chinese anti-submarine helicopter nearby.
President Macron’s trip, aimed at resuming face-to-face dialogue after three years of distance due to the health crisis, had an important economic component: he was accompanied by more than 50 French business leaders.
Franco-Chinese agreements on civil nuclear power and agriculture were signed on Thursday. And Airbus will double its aircraft production capacity in China from 2025 by installing a second assembly line in Tianjin (north). An agreement with the Forbidden City also announced the Palace of Versailles for a 2024 exhibition in China on exchanges between the two countries in the 18th century.
Emmanuel Macron will end his visit on Friday with a stopover in Canton, where he will have dinner with Xi Jinping for the last time.
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