Paris — French President Emmanuel Macron will try to put pressure Xi Jinping of China Using our influence to push Russia toward ending the war ukraine During a two-day state visit to France. The two leaders were also expected to discuss trade disputes over electric cars, cognac and cosmetics.
Macron’s office said there have been talks about diplomatic efforts to support and pressure Ukraine Russia It is a top priority for France.
The discussion will also include global challenges including the Middle East, trade issues and climate change. The President of the European Commission will attend the meetings to raise wider EU concerns.
France is the first stop on Xi’s European tour aimed at rebuilding ties at a time of global tensions. on Monday and Tuesday after France Chinese leader Will go to Serbia and Hungary.
France hopes the discussions will help persuade China to use its power moscow According to a French presidential official, “contributing to the resolution of the conflict” in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin Recently announced plans to visit China this month.
He said Macron would pressure Xi over supplies by Chinese companies supporting the Russian war effort despite EU sanctions. China claims neutrality in Ukraine conflict.
France also wants China to maintain dialogue with Kiev, said the official, who he is not authorized to name publicly as per presidential policy.
Last year, Macron appealed to Xi to “bring Russia to its senses” – but the call followed no apparent change in Beijing’s stance.
“French officials are pursuing two objectives that are ultimately contradictory,” Marc Julien, director of the Center for Asian Studies at the French Institute of International Relations, wrote in a briefing note. “On the one hand, to convince Xi that it is in his interest to help the Europeans put pressure on Vladimir Putin to end the war and, on the other hand, to prevent the Chinese president from supplying arms to his Russian friend.
“In short, we think Xi can help us, but at the same time we fear he can help Putin,” Julien wrote.
As France prepares to host the Summer Olympics, Macron said he would ask Xi to use his influence to make the Games a “diplomatic moment of peace” and respect the Olympic ceasefire.
Macron, a strong supporter of Europe’s economic sovereignty, is also expected to focus on trade. He will raise French concerns about Chinese antidumping investigations into Cognac and other European brandies and tensions over French cosmetics and other sectors.
In a recent speech, he condemned the trade practices of both China and the US as promoting protectionism and subsidies.
He has coordinated with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who recently visited China and came to Paris last week for a private dinner with the French president.
German government spokesman Wolfgang Buechner said Friday that in China, Scholz had “clearly stated that the question of greater capacity and competition needs to be addressed despite subsidies.”
The EU last fall launched an investigation into Chinese subsidies and may impose tariffs on electric vehicles exported from China.
The discussions will also be closely watched from Washington, with President Joe Biden expected to make his state visit to France just over a month later.
Xi’s visit to Paris marks the 60th anniversary of France-China diplomatic relations, and follows Macron’s visit to China in April 2023. Macron sparked controversy on that visit when he said France would not blindly follow the US into getting involved in crises that are not there. One clear reference to its concern is China’s demands for unification with Taiwan.
Several groups, including the International Campaign for Tibet and France’s Human Rights League, urged Macron to put human rights issues at the center of his talks with Xi. Protesters demonstrated demanding a free Tibet as Xi arrived in Paris on Sunday.
Amnesty International called on Macron to release Uyghur economics professor Ilham Tohti, who was sentenced to life in prison in 2014 on charges of promoting separatism, and the release of other imprisoned activists.
Macron said in an interview published Sunday that he would raise human rights concerns.
Xi will first attend meetings in Paris on Monday with Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Before the bilateral talks at the Elysee presidential palace, there will be a formal ceremony at the Invalides Monument. Macron and Xi will conclude a nearby French-Chinese economic forum and then attend a state dinner with their wives.
The second day of the trip is considered a more personal moment.
Macron has invited Xi to visit the Tourmalet Pass in the Pyrenees mountains on Tuesday, where the French leader spent time as a child, to see his grandmother. The visit is a reciprocal gesture after Xi took Macron to the residence of the governor of Guangdong province last year, where his father once lived.