- The French President visits China with EU President von der Leyen
- EU-China relations have deteriorated in recent years
- Macron hopes Xi can use Russian ties to seek peace in Ukraine
- China’s peace plan for Ukraine has met with skepticism
- Trade risks and deals are also on the summit agenda
BEIJING, April 6 (Portal) – China’s Xi Jinping agreed to speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the EU chief said on Thursday, after French President Emmanuel Macron urged Beijing to discuss the war in the US with Russia to speak sensibly in Ukraine.
In closely monitored talks, EU boss Ursula von der Leyen and Macron met with Xi in Beijing. Macron said the West must engage China to help end the crisis and prevent “spiraling” tensions that could split world powers into warring blocs.
Xi, who has tried to position China as a potential mediator in the conflict but is viewed by the West as pro-Russia, responded that he hoped Moscow and Kyiv could hold peace talks as soon as possible.
“It was interesting to hear that President Xi confirmed his willingness to talk,” von der Leyen told Zelenskyy. Xi said a talk could take place if “the conditions and the time are right,” she added.
Xi did not mention a possible meeting with Zelenskyy in his own comments after the meetings.
Zelenskyy has repeatedly asked Xi to meet him, including after the Chinese leader visited Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow last month. A French diplomatic source told Portal that Xi was “ready” to call Zelenskyy.
“Russian aggression in Ukraine has dealt a blow to (international) stability,” Macron told Xi, who was standing alongside the Chinese president outside the Great Hall of the People at the start of their bilateral meeting, which lasted 90 minutes.
“I know I can count on you to bring Russia back to sanity and bring everyone back to the negotiating table.”
Beijing’s reputation as a diplomatic actor was boosted in March when it brokered a deal for Iran and Saudi Arabia to resume ties after years of animosity that fueled uncertainty in the Gulf.
As a sign of the breadth of foreign policy for the world’s second largest economy, high-ranking Iranian and Saudi envoys met in Beijing on Thursday, parallel to the Europe-China summit.
China has proposed a 12-point peace plan for the Ukraine crisis that calls on both sides to agree to a gradual de-escalation leading to a comprehensive ceasefire.
The plan was largely opposed by the West as China refused to blame Russia for invading its sovereign neighbor. The United States and NATO have said China is considering sending arms to Russia, which Beijing denies.
The French diplomatic source said Macron urged Xi not to supply arms to Russia and Xi replied that it was not his war. China is ready to work with France to reach a negotiated end to the fighting, the source said.
However, more than a year into a conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives, there is little evidence that Russia or Ukraine are willing to negotiate.
NO TO NUCLEAR WAR
France said the talks between leaders were “frank and constructive,” while China described them as “friendly” and “in-depth.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron review troops during an official ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China April 6, 2023. Portal/Gonzalo Fuentes
Macron also called on Xi to urge Russia to comply with international rules on nuclear non-proliferation. Putin has announced that he will station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, neighboring Ukraine.
Xi said all countries should respect commitments not to use nuclear weapons and “a nuclear war should not be waged,” without mentioning Russia. He called on the international community to “refrain from any action that would further aggravate the crisis or even cause it to get out of control.”
The EU leaders’ visit to China comes after years of deteriorating ties with Beijing over issues including allegations of rights abuses in Xinjiang, a stalled investment pact and China’s reluctance to condemn Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
Human rights groups have accused Beijing of abuses against Uyghurs, a mainly Muslim ethnic minority of around 10 million people in Xinjiang, including the mass use of forced laborers in detention camps.
Von der Leyen called the situation in Xinjiang “particularly worrying”.
She also said that stability in the Taiwan Strait is of paramount importance. Xi replied that expecting China to compromise on Taiwan was “wishful thinking.”
But upon his arrival on Wednesday, Macron told the press Europe must oppose the severing of trade and diplomatic ties with China and reject what some have called an “inevitable spiral” in tensions between China and the West.
Macron also met with Premier Li Qiang before joining Xi for a lavish ceremony in the Great Hall, where the two leaders witnessed a 21-gun salute and walked side-by-side down a red carpet.
Macron put both hands on Xi’s during a long handshake. He then gave the Chinese leader a friendly pat on the shoulder as they greeted members of each government.
Von der Leyen held trilateral talks with Macron and Xi Thursday night on her first trip to China since taking office as European Commission President in 2019.
Von der Leyen, who also met Premier Li, took a slightly tougher tone in her comments after their meetings. Just days before the visit, she said Europe needed to “de-risk” diplomatically and economically with a hardening China.
China, for its part, is keen to ensure Europe does not follow US-led efforts to stem its rise.
NUCLEAR, AVIATION OFFERS
Macron, who is traveling with a 50-strong business delegation including Airbus (AIR.PA), luxury giant LVMH (LVMH.PA) and nuclear power producer EDF (EDF.PA), is also in China looking for economic gains.
Airbus on Thursday signed agreements to open a new assembly line in China, doubling its capacity in the world’s second-largest aviation market, and given a final green light to some previously announced jet orders.
The Elysee Palace said French state utility EDF and Chinese utility CGN, both major nuclear power plant operators, have signed a deal to renew a long-standing partnership. Agreements have also been signed between EDF and China Energy Investment Corporation for offshore wind projects.
Reporting by Michel Rose and Laurie Chen in Beijing; writing by John Geddie and Frank Jack Daniel; Edited by Gerry Doyle, Raju Gopalakrishnan, Christina Fincher and Jonathan Oatis
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Laurie Chen