French President Emmanuel Macron stressed at the outset of his visit to China that Beijing can “play a major role” in finding a “path leading to peace” in Ukraine, and opening the way for more diplomatic action between Moscow and the West.
Macron said today, Wednesday, at the start of the 3-day visit, “China proposed a peace plan, and thus showed a will to take charge and try to forge a path leading to peace.”
Macron warned that supporting the “aggressor” in the Ukrainian conflict means becoming “an accomplice in violating international law,” referring to the possibility of China sending weapons to Russia.
However, the French President confirmed, in response to questions from journalists, that he would not threaten to impose sanctions during his meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, tomorrow, Thursday, “because the threat is not the appropriate way.”
The Russian military intervention in Ukraine, which Beijing has never condemned, constitutes a major issue in the talks that Macron will hold with Xi.
Macron added, “This war, which I have described several times as colonial, has trampled many principles of the legitimacy of the United Nations, which we, as members of the Security Council, must firmly defend.”
He continued, “I see that defending it also means progressing together, and trying to find a path that leads to peace.”
Macron stressed that China, “given its close relations with Russia, which have been reaffirmed in recent days,” with the Chinese president’s visit to Moscow, “can play a major role” in resolving the conflict, so “dialogue” with the Beijing authorities is “very necessary.”
The French president said that France and the European Union should “not separate from China, but rather engage in a continuous relationship with it.”
Before leaving for China, the French President held a telephone conversation with his counterpartYJoe Biden, during which they expressed their hope that “China will engage with us in joint efforts to accelerate an end to the war in Ukraine and establish a sustainable peace,” according to French officials.
Paris believes that the most urgent matter is to prevent “China from moving into the war camp.”
