Macron, to Xi Jinping: "I know I can count on you to bring Russia back to reason"

Emmanuel Macron has not minced words in China.

In his first meeting with Xi Jinping, held this Thursday in Beijing, the French president made it clear to the leader of the second world power what the main driving force behind his visit is: "I know I can count on you to make Russia return to reason and everyone back to the negotiating table”, he told him after reminding him that “Russian aggression in Ukraine has dealt a blow to global stability”.

Macron's state visit has been received with all honors, with Tiananmen Square decorated, a walk in front of the military band and the French flag nailed to the building of the Great Hall of the People, where Beijing usually holds major political events.

There he received Xi, before the imposing staircase.

"Today's world is undergoing a profound historical transformation," the Chinese leader confided to his French counterpart, according to the official note from the meeting offered by the Chinese government, in which there is no direct reference to Ukraine.

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The Chinese statement does include how Xi has recalled that both countries are permanent members of the UN Security Council, in addition to "firm defenders of a multipolar world and greater democracy in international relations", and calls for the responsibility of both to “overcome differences and obstacles” and “practice true multilateralism for world peace, stability and prosperity”.

Macron added that it is necessary to find "a lasting peace" in Ukraine "that respects internationally recognized borders and avoids any form of escalation," according to the Elysee statement.

"I think this is also an important issue for China, just as much as it is for France and for Europe."

Boost in bilateral ties

The Chinese leader has also appreciated how despite the distance imposed by the pandemic, both countries have managed to maintain "a positive and solid growth momentum in their bilateral ties".

And he stressed that the visit "will give new impetus and vitality to relations between China and Europe," according to the official reading from Beijing.

Macron has coordinated his visit with that of the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, which has been preceded by a much harsher speech than that of the French.

Both landed on Wednesday, on separate flights.

A week before flying to Beijing, the community leader accused the Asian giant of trying to shape the international order to suit her.

Even so, China sees in the diplomatic outpost of the old continent —the president of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, was in Beijing last week— signs of a recovery in relations with the European Union, and a certain rapprochement in the face of increasing distance deeper with the United States.

Macron and Von der Leyen plan to hold a trilateral meeting with Xi this afternoon (in the Spanish morning), to be followed by a face-to-face meeting between the head of the Community Executive and the Chinese president.

Both Macron and Von der Leyen met with Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang on Thursday morning.

Addressing Macron, Li told him that he was the first leader of a major Western nation to be received by China after the start of Xi's third term as Chinese president.

"This shows the importance of China-France relations," Prime Minister Li told him in his opening speech, according to the Hong Kong newspaper

In this meeting, which usually works as a preamble to the meeting with Xi, Macron also evoked the war in Ukraine and the question of access for French companies to the Chinese market, "particularly in the aeronautical, agri-food and financial sectors", according to The French Executive has informed through a statement.

Macron has traveled to China accompanied by a large entourage of businessmen from large companies, such as the Airbus aeronautics company, the EDF public energy company, the Voelia water management multinational and the Alstom electrical and railway services corporation.

But in it there are relevant figures from all sectors, such as the filmmaker Jean-Jacques Annaud.

In her meeting with the prime minister, the president of the Commission has drawn on family legacy to talk about the economic interdependence between China and the EU.

She has recalled the trips to the Asian giant that her father, who was minister president of the federal state of Lower Saxony, told her about, and in which he signed a cooperation agreement with a Chinese province.

"It was one of the many impulses for the very deep and broad relations that China and the EU have established in this time."

Both, she has pointed out, have benefited from a relationship that has recently become "more complex".

And she has called for a discussion on "all aspects" of those ties.

"This will help the European Union and China to navigate a complex and volatile geopolitical environment."

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