Chinese leader Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron, as well as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met in Paris. They discussed Russiaʼs war in Ukraine and escalation in the Middle East.
Ursula von der Leyen announced this at the briefing after the meeting.
"We rely on China to use all its influence with Russia to stop Russiaʼs war against Ukraine," von der Leyen said.
In addition, Macron and von der Leyen discussed with Xi Chinaʼs commitment not to supply Russia with any lethal weapons. The head of the European Commission emphasized that the PRC should make more efforts to prevent the supply of dual-purpose goods to Russia, because in the end they end up at the front.
According to her, this threatens not only Ukraine, but also Europe, so it affects relations between the EU and the Peopleʼs Republic of China. In addition, the president of the European Commission noted that Xi Jinping played an important role in the de-escalation of Russian nuclear threats.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (left), French President Emmanuel Macron (center) and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (right) during a meeting at the Elysee Palace.
Macron emphasized that Europe and China need to solve complex problems in trade.
"The future of our continent will depend on our ability to develop our relationship with China in a balanced way," Macron said during the meeting.
For his part, Xi Jinping said that China, France and the European Union should oppose the escalation of hostilities in Ukraine and create conditions for peace negotiations.
"Beijing is ready to maintain contacts with the relevant parties to the Ukrainian conflict," Xi said.
Against this background, the head of the Peopleʼs Republic of China emphasized that China is not a "party to the conflict" and is making every effort to facilitate negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
- Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrived in France on May 5 — his first visit to Europe since the coronavirus pandemic. International and regional issues, as well as economic relations, are on the agenda.