President of the European Council, Charles Michel, has urged Chinese President Xi Jinping to use his influence to persuade Russia to end the war in Ukraine.

The two men met in Beijing on Thursday for more than three hours, discussing human rights, Taiwan, trade relations, and climate change. "I urged President Xi, as we did at our EU China summit in April, to use his influence on Russia to respect the UN charter," Michel told a press conference.

His spokesperson Barend Leyts had earlier said, "Both leaders stressed that nuclear threats are irresponsible and highly dangerous."

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Xi was quoted by state broadcaster CCTV as saying that “solving the Ukrainian crisis through political means is in the best interest of Europe and the common interest of all countries in Eurasia."

"Under current conditions, we must avoid escalation and expansion of the crisis and work for peace," Xi said.

Michel also met with Prime Minister Li Kepiang and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress Li Zhanshu during his one-day visit to China.

It comes six weeks after the European Union's 27 leaders held a three-hour strategic discussion on China, sparked by the country's refusal to condemn Russia's war on Ukraine, the growing trade deficit to Beijing's benefit, and the realization that the bloc is heavily reliant on China for technology and raw materials.

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On trade, Michel stressed that a key issue for EU leaders is the rebalancing of the relationship and "set out the difficulties faced by EU companies and investors, which have been exacerbated by the pandemic."

"The Presidents discussed the EU’s restrictive measures on China as well as the measures taken by China against the EU," according to Leyts.

Xi, meanwhile, told Michel that he hoped "EU institutions and member states will establish an objective and correct perception of China," state broadcaster CCTV reported.

"China will remain open to European companies, and hopes the EU can eliminate interference to provide a fair and transparent business environment for Chinese companies," the Chinese leader also told Michel. 

Michel's trip came a month after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz made the journey with a group of business leaders drawing criticism from his fellow EU leaders.

But an EU official insisted last week that he had "a clear mandate on what our China policy should be."

"What we think is needed is a new impetus on the relationship and to check what has changed and what are the new parameters," the official added.

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