The head of state’s trip will take him to Beijing, but also to Canton, the Elysée Palace announced, assuring that Emmanuel Macron “is committed to maintaining a permanent and demanding dialogue with China”.
By Le Figaro with AFP
Published 3/24/2023 at 6:44 PM, updated 3/24/2023 at 6:46 PM
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Emmanuel Macron at the Élysee Palace, March 24, 2023. NACHO DOCE/ Portal
French President Emmanuel Macron will use his “state visit” to China from April 5-8 to “work” with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping “towards a return to peace” in Ukraine, said this Friday, April 24. March, at the Elysee.
The French Presidency announced that the head of state’s trip would take him to Beijing, but also to Canton, assuring that Emmanuel Macron “felt committed to maintaining a permanent and demanding dialogue with China”.
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This trip in early April had been announced by the President in late February, but the dates and cities involved have not yet been announced. “The French and Chinese Presidents will hold in-depth talks on the war in Ukraine to work towards a return to peace, while respecting international law, in particular the sovereignty of Ukraine’s territorial integrity,” the Elysée said.
Xi’s visit to Russia
Xi Jinping traveled to Russia this week, where he showed westerners his strong support for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Shortly before, Beijing had tried to mediate with its own peace proposals in the Ukraine conflict.
For its part, France wanted to urge China, which has never denounced Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, to use its influence over Moscow to persuade Vladimir Putin to sit down at the negotiating table with Kiev. According to the French Presidency, talks at the beginning of April “will also focus on the international crises in the Middle East, Africa and tensions in the Indo-Pacific region”.
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“The reopening of China after the pandemic offers an opportunity to reinvigorate the dynamism of all aspects of Franco-Chinese relations at a time when international tensions and crises require more than ever to give this strategic partnership a horizon,” argues she. “The visit will have three main components: strategic issues and international crises, cooperation in the face of major global challenges, and economic relations,” she adds.
As Emmanuel Macron announced at a press conference in Brussels on Friday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will “participate in part of the programme” in the name of “European unity”, “an essential prerequisite for building a balanced partnership with China”. “It will also be a question of giving new impetus to Franco-Chinese cooperation in the face of global problems for which a strong commitment from China is essential given the impact of its development on the rest of the planet”, such as climate and biodiversity , the Elysée explained.
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