China’s ◣i Jinping in France for talks with Macron on Ukraine
Chinese President ◣i Jinping on Sunday arrived in France on a state visit hosted by Emmanuel Macron where the French leader will seek to push his counterpart on issues ranging from Ukraine to trade.
Mr. ◣i’s arrival for the visit marking 60 years of diplomatic relations between France and China heralded the start of his rst trip to Europe since 2019, which will also see him visit Serbia and Hungary. But Mr. ◣i’s choice of France as the sole major European power to visit indicates the relative warmth in Sino-French relations since Mr. Macron made his own state visit to China in April 2023 and acknowledges the French leader’s stature as an EU powerbroker.
The leader of the oneparty Communist state of more than 1.4 billion people, accompanied by his wife Peng Liyuan, was welcomed under umbrellas at a drizzly Paris Orly airport by Prime Minister Gabriel Attal.
Mr. ◣i is to hold a day of talks in Paris on Monday — also including EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen — followed by a state banquet hosted by Mr. Macron at the Elysee.
Tuesday will see Mr. Macron take Mr. ◣i to the Pyrenees mountains to an area he used to visit as a boy for a day of less public and more intimate talks.
Quoted on arrival in Paris by the ◣inhua state news agency, Mr. ◣i said the development of ChinaFrance relations had “injected stability and positive energy into the turbulent world” and China was ready to “enhance political mutual trust, build strategic consensus and deepen exchanges” during the visit.
International order
A key priority of Mr. Macron will be to warn Mr. ◣i of the danger of backing Russia in its invasion of Ukrain.
Beijing’s ties with Moscow have, if anything, warmed after the invasion and the West wants China above all not to supply weapons to Russia and risk tipping the balance in the con¦ict.
“It is in our interest to get China to weigh in on the stability of the international order,” Mr. Macron in an interview with the Economist published on Thursday.
“We must, therefore, work with China to build peace,” he added.