French President Macron arrives in China seeking peaceful solution Russia-Ukraine war

Asia-Pacific, Europe, News April 6, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

French President Emmanuel Macron and the European Commission Chief Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Beijing on April 5, 2023, on a three-day trip. The two leaders aim to strengthen ties with China as they seek a peaceful solution to the Russia-Ukraine war.

The French President’s trip to China is not solely focused on the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. Macron is also set to deepen France’s economic ties with China.

France’s Macron is accompanied by a delegation of more than 50 CEOs from different French companies, seeking to explore economic and trade opportunities in China.

Ahead of his trip to Beijing, Macron spoke with U.S. President Joe Biden on a telephone call where the two leaders agreed that the Western leaders must engage China to hasten the end of the war in Ukraine.

According to a statement released by the French Presidential office, “the two leaders have mentioned their joint willingness to engage China to accelerate the end of the war in Ukraine and take part in building sustainable peace in the region”.

*^{French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a meeting with China’s French community in Beijing on April 5, 2023. (Image Credit: Twitter/@ChinaDaily)}*

The joint trip is the recent most noticeable interaction between Chinese and European leadership. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez also visited Beijing in recent months.

China is European Union’s largest trade partner and officially holds a neutral stance on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. This provides Beijing with a unique stature for mediating talks between Russia and the West in order to find a diplomatic solution for the largest security crisis in Europe since World War II. However, the U.S. has been accusing China of siding with Russia and planning to provide Moscow with lethal weapons against Ukraine, a claim that Beijing rejects.

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen is on her first trip officials trip to China since taking office in 2019. Her trip to Beijing would focus on discussing the Ukraine war with the Chinese leadership.

Last week Ursula von der Leyen criticized Beijing in a public speech where she said that China’s role in the Russia-Ukraine war “will be a determining factor for EU-China relations going forward”. In her 40-minute-long speech, Ursula painted a scorching picture of China as she heavily criticized Beijing’s role in the deteriorating state of EU-China relations.

*^{President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen with President of France Emmanuel Macron. (Image Credit: Ludovic Marin/AFP)}*

The European Commission president said that China and the EU are “more distant and more difficult” than ever before. She accused Beijing of trumping the free-trade order, bullying small-sized countries, violating human rights, toughening its military standing, and ramping up disinformation campaigns.

Beijing said it was “disappointed” by her speech. According to China’s European Union ambassador Fu Cong, von der Leyen’s approach towards China reflects a “deep-seated ambivalence” and exposes von der Leyen’s fear of being seen as too soft towards China, particularly in front of the U.S. and other Western allies.