French President Emmanuel Macron, visiting Beijing, told his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Thursday that he “counts” on him to “bring Russia to reason” regarding the conflict in Ukraine, in which both called for peace negotiations ” as soon as possible”.
Macron arrived in China on Wednesday for a three-day visit, saying clearly that his aim is to dissuade Beijing from supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022.
“I know I can count on you to make Russia see reason and bring the whole world to the negotiating table,” the French president said during a bilateral meeting with Xi.
In a joint statement to the press after that closed-door meeting, the two leaders reaffirmed their call for peace talks between kyiv and Moscow “as soon as possible.”
Both also reaffirmed their opposition to the use of nuclear weapons in the conflict.
“Nuclear weapons cannot be used,” said the Chinese president, who condemned attacks on civilians and any “use of biological and chemical weapons.”
The Kremlin, however, cooled the situation, by ruling out the possibility of Chinese mediation despite the strategic relationship between the two powers.
“Of course, China has tremendous and effective potential in terms of its mediation services,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov told reporters in Moscow.
“But the situation with Ukraine is complex, and at the moment there is no prospect of a political solution,” so “we have no other solution than to continue with the special operation,” he added, using the expression that the Russian authorities use to describe the offensive in Ukraine.
Trilateral with Von der Leyen
“On the Chinese side, what we have at the moment are absolutely classic statements,” analyst Antoine Bondaz of the French Foundation for Strategic Research told AFP.
“It is clear that China has not moved. The objective is for China to do what it says, which is not the case at the moment,” he added.
On the first day of his visit, the French president estimated on Wednesday that Beijing could play “a great role” in finding “a path to peace” in Ukraine and referred to the document published by China.
For his part, von der Leyen was more severe last week in Brussels, warning that China’s stance on the war will be a “determining factor” in the future of its relationship with the EU.
Macron and von der Leyen’s visit coincides with a new period of tension around Taiwan after the meeting in California between the island’s president, Tsai Ing-wen, and the speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy.
On Thursday, Beijing promised “firm measures” before this meeting and the self-governing island announced the detection of three warships and a Chinese anti-submarine helicopter in its vicinity.
China regards Taiwan as part of its territory and is willing to retake its control, even by force. Its authorities reject any contact between the island authorities with other countries.
AFP
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