Relations between China and France are a model of peaceful coexistence and cooperation between countries with different systems, Xi said after his arrival, according to Chinese media. “Their development also brings stability and positive energy to a troubled world,” the Chinese official added.
During the trip, Si will meet with President Emmanuel Macron. According to Reuters, he will urge his Chinese counterpart to use his influence on Russia to end the war in Ukraine.
France has long been trying to get China to put pressure on Moscow to stop its aggression in Ukraine. Apart from Xi’s decision to call Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for the first time shortly after Macron’s visit to Beijing last year, the French have not been able to make much progress, according to Reuters.
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“We hope that peace and stability will soon return to Europe, and we intend to work with France and the entire international community to find good ways to resolve the crisis,” Si wrote in an article published by Le Figaro newspaper on Sunday. He added that he “has always played a constructive role in promoting a peaceful solution” to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
He recalled that on several occasions he called for “respecting the goals and principles of the UN Charter, respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, taking into account the legitimate security interests of individual parties, and insisting on the imperative not to use nuclear weapons and not wage nuclear war.” According to him, China has provided humanitarian aid to Ukraine and its special envoy has made several trips to the affected countries.
According to the United States and other Western allies of Kyiv, however, it was precisely China’s support for Russia’s military-industrial sector that enabled Moscow to face Western sanctions and continue its attacks on Ukraine.
The statesmen are also expected to talk about trade. He also has a meeting with the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. The twenty-seven members of the EU – and especially France and Germany – are divided in their attitude towards China. “In Europe, we are not united on this issue because some players still see China essentially as a market of opportunity,” Macron said, without naming any country.
On his first trip to Europe since the covid-19 pandemic, Xi Jinping will also visit Serbia and Hungary.
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