Xi Jinping arrived on an official visit to Paris (video)

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife arrived in Paris on May 5 as part of their official European tour. They will also visit Hungary and Serbia. Xi expressed his readiness to work with Paris on peace in Ukraine:

“China is ready to cooperate with the international community, including France, to find a reasonable solution to the crisis in Ukraine.” The Chinese leader's statement leads french newspaper Le Figaro, it is also published on the government website China:

“The longer the crisis related to Ukraine lasts, the greater the damage it will cause to Europe and the world. China hopes that the European continent will soon return to peace and stability, and is ready to cooperate with the international community, including France, to find a reasonable way to resolve the crisis.” .

The text of the statement emphasizes that “China is neither the source of the Ukrainian crisis, nor its party or participant,” but the PRC “played a constructive role in the search for a peaceful solution to this crisis.” In connection with the last argument, Xi recalls that he has repeatedly called for “observing the purposes and foundations of the UN Charter, respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, taking into account the legitimate security interests of all parties,” and also pointed out the inadmissibility of the use of nuclear weapons.

As AFP writes, the main priority for French President Emmanuel Macron during Xi Jinping's visit to Paris will be to warn the latter about “how dangerous it is to support Russia (in its war against Ukraine).” Macron said in an interview with The Economist on May 4 that it is in the West's interests to “get China to participate in ensuring the stability of the international order.” In the same interview, he accused China of violating international trade rules and said that Europe needs to “respect its strategic interests,” the agency recalls.

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived on an official visit to Europe at a time when Sino-European relations are far from perfect. After a first stop in France on May 6 and 7, as part of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of Franco-Chinese diplomatic relations, Xi Jinping will travel to Serbia and then to Hungary. Observers consider them the most friendly towards Russia in Europe.

“With these two visits to these two European capitals, Xi Jinping has demonstrated that he is actively working to create an authoritarian axis in international politics,” said German Member of the European Parliament Reinhard Bütikofer. These two countries are also considered the gateway to China's New Silk Road transport initiative in Europe.

What are the economic and strategic goals of this purely political tour? The leaders of China and France will first address the issue of the war in Ukraine. As the Elysee Palace stated, “China is one of Russia’s main partners,” so French President Emmanuel Macron will try to convince Beijing to “use its existing leverage over Moscow” to “contribute to the resolution of the conflict.”

Although Chinese authorities say they are neutral and call for peace, they have failed to condemn Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and a surge in trade between Russia and China in 2023 has helped soften the impact of economic sanctions against Moscow. Senior researcher at the Jacques Delors Institute, Elvira Fabry, who is responsible for trade geopolitics, believes:

“The main concern is obviously all the support that could be provided by China in terms of dual-use technologies that could help upgrade all of Russia's military equipment.”

Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will need to send a “clear signal” that Europe is “ready to sanction more Chinese companies for critically supporting Moscow's war efforts,” says Janka Oertel, director of the Asia program at the European Council on Foreign Relations. .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7D3TErd9Jw

Friendly meetings between Xi Jinping and Emmanuel Macron:

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