Macron arrives in China for talks with Xi on Ukraine

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
5 Apr 2023 12:32

The French President sees China as a potential "gamechanger" and says Europe must not separate from China economically.

Emmanuel Macron arrives in Beijing on Wednesday for the start of his state visit to China. (Reuters)

French President Emmanuel Macron arrives in China on Wednesday where he intends to discuss with Chinese President Xi Jinping the situation in Ukraine and bilateral trade ties between the EU and Beijing.

In his first speech since arriving for a three-day state visit, Macron said China could play a major role in finding a "path to peace" in Ukraine.

"China, with its close relationship with Russia, which has been reaffirmed in recent days, can play a major role," he indicated.

The French leader also said France would engage "in this shared responsibility for peace and stability."

At the French embassy in Beijing, Macron said that Europe must not separate from China economically.

"We must not disassociate ourselves, separate ourselves from China," he said during a gathering of Beijing's French community, saying France would "commit proactively to continue to have a commercial relationship with China."

Earlier, an official from Macron's office who wished to remain anonymous said that the French leader hopes to talk Beijing into playing an active role to end the war in Ukraine.

Macron also intends to talk Xi out of assisting Russia in the conflict, as per the official.

"China is the only country in the world capable of having an immediate and radical impact on the conflict, in one direction or the other," the official said.

The French President will discuss the matter with the Chinese leader but will resort to "another path" than the confrontational position that the US holds concerning Beijing.

A delegation of 60 businessmen accompanies Macron on his official trip, including the chiefs of Airbus and EDF.

Maintaining trade ties between the EU and China is also on Macron's agenda, in addition to preserving France's interests in the Asia-Pacific region.

The head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen is also joining the French President on his China visit.

'Decoupling China unviable'

Last week, Von der Leyen warned China that its approach to the Ukraine war would determine ties but said Europe was not looking to break away from Beijing.

"We have to be frank on this point. How China continues to interact with Putin's war will be a determining factor for EU-China relations going forward," she said.

However, the EU commission chief said it "is neither viable -- nor in Europe's interest -- to decouple from China," adding, "We do not want to cut economic, societal, political and scientific ties," but it is important to "rebalance" the trade between the two parties "on the basis of transparency, predictability and reciprocity."

'Little brother'

"The way China positions itself on the war in Ukraine is a disappointment for Europe," a European diplomat in Beijing told AFP.

However, the diplomat considered it unlikely that Beijing would change its position as it sees the EU as "the United States' little brother."

But resuming meetings between the two parties is a positive development, she added.

Joerg Wuttke, the head of the EU Chamber of Commerce in China, considered that the Chinese-European trade balance is in a bad state.

"Our sales are miserable," Wuttke told AFP.

"Last year, we only shipped 1.6 million containers to China, exports went down dramatically -- and China has been incredibly successful, shipping 6.4 million containers into Europe."

The European diplomat believed that Beijing will bring up Europe's Comprehensive Agreement on Investment with China, which was long stalled by the EU and was later halted due to human rights allegations against the Asian giant, in addition to sanctions.

"Chinese companies have a strong interest to invest in Europe, that's why China is pushing again for the ratification of the investment agreement," Wuttke added.

But the "geopolitical conditions have changed so much since the conclusion of the negotiations in 2020, so there is no chance of progress on that point," he said.

Regional player

The Asia-Pacific has turned into "the nerve center of the planet," and this is due to its huge population and vast resources, considered Cedric Perrin, a French senate who took part in writing a report on the region.

According to Perrin, France must "re-state a strong and realistic position towards China, especially regarding the need to respect international law" if it wants to be considered a serious regional player.