BEIJING
\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday he was counting on his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to \u201cbring Russia to its senses\u201d over its war in Ukraine.
\nThe French president, who arrived on Wednesday for a three-day state visit, has made clear he is seeking to dissuade China from supporting Russia\u2019s invasion of its neighbor.
\n\u201cI know I can count on you to bring Russia to its senses and everyone to the negotiating table,\u201d the French head of state told Xi during a bilateral meeting in Beijing.
\nAnd in a joint statement following those talks, the two leaders reaffirmed their call for peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow \u201cas soon as possible.\u201d
\nThe two sides also reaffirmed their opposition to the use of nuclear weapons during the conflict.
\nTo coincide with their meeting, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV released a report in which Xi hailed China\u2019s \u201cpositive and steady\u201d ties with France as the world undergoes \u201cprofound historical changes.\u201d
\nMacron has said during his trip that Beijing can play a \u201cmajor role\u201d in finding a path to peace in the conflict and welcomed China\u2019s \u201cwillingness to commit to a resolution.\u201d
\nHis visit to China \u2014 his first since 2019 \u2014 comes as Western pressure mounts on Beijing to help push for peace in Ukraine.
\nThough Beijing is officially neutral, Xi has never condemned the Russian invasion.
\nWhile he recently went to Moscow to reaffirm his alliance with Vladimir Putin \u2014 framed as an anti-Western front \u2014 Xi has not spoken on the phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
\nMacron, who is accompanied on his visit by European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, said he wants to \u201cbe a voice that unites Europe\u201d over Ukraine, and that coming to China with her serves to \u201cunderline the consistency of this approach.\u201d
\nIn a Thursday morning meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the Great Hall of the People, Macron stressed the importance of dialogue between China and France \u201cin these troubled times.\u201d
\n\u201cThe ability to share a common analysis and build a common path is essential,\u201d he said.
\nAnd in a separate meeting with Li, von der Leyen told the premier that relations between the EU and China had grown \u201ccomplex in recent years.\u201d
\n\u201cIt is important that we discuss all aspects of this relationship together today,\u201d she said, especially in the current \u201cvolatile geopolitical environment.\u201d
\nFollowing Macron\u2019s talks with Xi, the pair will give statements to the press, followed by a meeting with von der Leyen and then a state dinner.
\nMacron will travel to Guangzhou in southern China to meet students on Friday, taking with him a broad delegation of top politicians, business leaders and even celebrities, including composer Jean-Michel Jarre.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BEIJING French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday he was counting on his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to \u201cbring Russia to its senses\u201d over its war in Ukraine. The French president, who arrived on Wednesday for a three-day state visit, has made clear he is seeking to dissuade China from supporting Russia\u2019s invasion of its […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":243594,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-324353","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n