French President Emmanuel Macron was due in Beijing on Wednesday for a visit he hopes will persuade China to stop supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as well as forge closer ties with an important trade partner.
An official in his office told reporters ahead of the three-day visit that Macron would try to be firm on Ukraine during talks with his counterpart Xi Jinping and offer “another way” in a more directly confrontational tone.
The French leader’s objectives include preserving and rebalancing China’s trade ties with Europe, as well as protecting French interests in the Asia-Pacific region, where Paris has positioned itself as a player because of its overseas territories and military deployments. sees as
The White House said that on the eve of his visit, Macron discussed his trip to China and his support for Ukraine during a phone call with US President Joe Biden.
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According to a French diplomatic source, the two leaders said they wanted China to help “accelerate” the search for a solution to the war.
The source said the talks showed “the common desire of France and the United States to engage the Chinese to accelerate the end of the war in Ukraine and to make a lasting peace”.
The US and French presidents are also expected to receive “a contribution from the Chinese to the global effort of North-South solidarity” and “a common agenda” on climate and biodiversity.
Before talks with Chinese leaders on Thursday and a state dinner in the evening, Macron will land in Beijing at around 3:30 pm (0730 GMT) and then meet French residents in the capital.
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He will travel to Guangzhou in southern China to meet local students on Friday, accompanied by a wide-ranging delegation of celebrities including top politicians, business leaders and musician Jean-Michel Jarre.
– ‘nerve center’ –
About 1.6 million French citizens live in overseas territories in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond, from La Reunion off the east coast of Madagascar to New Caledonia in Australia’s northeast and dozens of Pacific islands in French Polynesia.
Due to its vast population, abundant natural resources and economic importance, Asia-Pacific has become the “nerve center of the planet”, said Cédric Perrin, co-author of a French Senate report on the region.
France hopes its vast economic zone and 7,000 deployed troops could lend it a seat at the table as tensions rise on multiple fronts, including with nuclear-armed North Korea and China and the United States on the self-ruled island of Taiwan There is tension between.
Perrin believes that France must “reiterate a strong and realistic position towards China, particularly with regard to the need to respect international law” if it wants to be taken seriously as a regional player. .
Macron’s visit – his first in four years – coincides with a flashpoint meeting in California on Wednesday between Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Beijing has said it will “closely monitor the situation and firmly defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity”, and warned Republican McCarthy that he would be “playing with fire” by meeting Tsai.
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China claims democratic Taiwan as part of its territory that it will one day take back by force if necessary.
The presence of European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, who met Macron in Paris on Monday to coordinate preparations, is a clear indication that the visit will go beyond France to the entire 27-nation European Union.
In a speech last week, von der Leyen cautioned Beijing against direct support for the war in Ukraine, while rejecting “disengaging” the EU from China.
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