On his first trip to China since 2019, Emmanuel Macron will meet Xi Jinping to discuss bilateral relations and the war in Ukraine. Ursula von der Leyen is also present.
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French President Emmanuel Macron has arrived in Beijing for a three-day state visit to China, the Elysee Palace said, on his first trip to the country since 2019.
The French head of state is scheduled to meet the French community on Wednesday afternoon, ahead of an intense day of talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Thursday and a trip to Guangzhou in southern China on Friday.
Macron will address the war in Ukraine and bilateral economic relations with Xi Jinping. The president of the European Commission is also in ChinaUrsula von der Leyen.
“It is smart to position China as a mediator”
For Paris, China is an unavoidable actor in the face of the various challenges of the international context, beginning with the conflict in Ukraine due to the proximity of Beijing to Russia, while Chinese diplomacy sees a meeting between Macron and Jinping as necessary to plan the future development of relations chinese-french already “deepen cooperation with France and Europe in various fields”.
Paris wants to restore relations with the Chinese at all levels and wants to relaunch cultural exchange, especially between students from both countries.
Macron will thus inaugurate the Franco-Chinese festival “Croisements”, presented as the largest foreign festival in China. The French president is accompanied by the director Jean-Jacques Annaud, the musician Jean-Michel Jarre and, on the Chinese side, the actress Gong Li and the painter Yan Pei-ming will be present.
On Chinese territory, Macron will also be accompanied by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. The two European representatives will have their own agendas, but they will have a joint meeting, scheduled for Thursday, with the Chinese president.
Von der Leyen wants the European Union to confront Chinese “dominance” in clean technologies
Ursula von der Leyen is planning another meeting with Xi Jinping, but this time alone.
Along with Ukraine, the leader of the community executive will speak with the Ukrainian president before addressing the Asian country, according to a spokeswoman, and intends to discuss EU-China relations with Xi Jinping.
Source: Observadora
