European leaders' mission in China

President Macron and EC President von der Leyen held a series of meetings with Chinese leaders in Beijing on April 6, a move that set a new direction for the relationship between the European Union (EU) and China after years of tension.

Speaking at the opening of the bilateral meeting with President Macron, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that China and France are major countries in the world with the ability and responsibility to overcome differences and safeguard world peace.

President Macron said France will continue to cooperate with China in many areas, and expressed hope that Beijing will promote peace in Ukraine.

Xi also held trilateral talks with Macron and von der Leyen that evening. Earlier, Macron and von der Leyen had separate meetings with Premier Li Qiang. According to Reuters, Premier Li Qiang said the partnership with the EU and France was at a “new starting point” and both sides should adhere to mutual respect and win-win cooperation.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) attend the signing ceremony in Beijing, China on April 6. Photo: REUTERS

Both Mr Macron and Ms Leyen have said they want to persuade China to use its influence over Russia to broker peace in Ukraine or at least prevent Beijing from directly supporting Moscow in the conflict.

Some analysts say Macron and Leyen may use opposing psychological tactics, with Macron pushing for a reset in China-EU relations and Leyen highlighting more challenging issues and red lines in the relationship.

According to Euronews , Mr. Macron wants to prevent China from getting closer to Russia, but some analysts warn that this is unlikely due to the highly strategic nature of the relationship between Beijing and Moscow.

Mr. Antoine Bondaz, senior lecturer at Sciences Po University in Paris (France), said that what the French President and the EC President can do is warn China about the possible consequences in case of military support for Russia and clarify the possibility of Russia deploying nuclear weapons in Belarus.

Ahead of the visit, Mr Macron said he wanted to be a united voice for Europe on Ukraine. Meanwhile, China hopes the visit will help prevent a deterioration in relations between China and the US. The 27-nation bloc is seeking to develop economic ties with China but also reaffirms close political and cultural ties with the US.

But the move toward the US is not an easy one for European leaders. In 2022, China was the EU’s third-largest buyer of goods and its largest exporter to the bloc, underscoring Beijing’s economic importance to Europe, especially as growth in the EU has been hit by the Ukraine-Russia conflict.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/thoi-su-quoc-te/su-menh-cua-lanh-dao-chau-au-tai-trung-quoc-20230406223010867.htm