On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron will visit China with the hope of dissuading Beijing from supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, he must do so without alienating China, a crucial player in terms of trade and geopolitics.
On Friday, an official from Macron’s office, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told reporters that “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.”
During his visit, Macron aims to stand firm towards President Xi Jinping on the issue of Ukraine. However, he plans to take “another path” from the confrontational tone often heard from Washington, according to the same official.
The French leader’s aims include preserving and rebalancing China’s trade ties with Europe as well as safeguarding French interests in the Asia-Pacific region – where Paris sees itself as a player thanks to its overseas territories and military deployments.
Ursula von der Leyen.
That Macron’s visit will have an impact beyond France and affect the entire 27-nation European Union is clear from that presence on the trip of European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen.
She visited Macron in Paris Monday to coordinate their preparations.
In a speech last week, von der Leyen cautioned Beijing against direct support for the war while ruling out the 27-member European Union “decoupling” from China.
The Europeans won’t hold Xi back from arming Russia by “saying nicely what he shouldn’t do,” said Antoine Bondaz of the Paris-based Foundation for Strategic Research (FRS).
He predicted instead that the leaders would warn him off arms deliveries in public while dangling the threat of sanctions in their private talks.