The French President of Ukraine is on a diplomatic trip to China, with a view toward a solution to the Russian-Ukraine conflict
The trip has a strong economic component with some expected to finalize or even sign new deals during the trip, with the French president traveling in China with a delegation of roughly 50 business leaders.
Less than a month after visiting Moscow, where he and Putin talked about a number of issues, the Chinese President will be going on a trip.
For Beijing, the double-header diplomacy could offer a chance to mend that image, as it aims to reconnect with the world and revive its domestic economy following three years of damaging Covid restrictions.
An Elysee source on Friday described Beijing as potentially one of the only countries able to have a “game changer effect” on the war, given its ties with Russia – and said a key aim of the visit was ultimately finding “a way to identify solutions” to end the war.
Beijing has claimed neutrality in the conflict, but has not condemned Russia’s invasion and instead bolstered its economic and diplomatic ties with Moscow over the past year.
The statement added that the President of the Republic talked to the Prime Minister and that he had talked to the head of the National People’s Congress in China.
The focus on driving peace inUkraine, alongside an important economic relationship with China, seem to draw skepticism from some quarters.
Attempts to contain Russia failed because of economic partnership. The flexibility we had allowed Putin to be encouraged. Similar tactics would also embolden China. Landsbergis did not mention the trip in his thread but wrote that he would not make the same mistake again.
“The president will not question the Chinese red lines, but to find a space to carry initiatives that have a beneficial effect for the benefit of the Ukrainian population, and to create a way to identify a solution to this war.”
It is unclear whether this goal can be achieved with Beijing, which may be unlikely to depart from a stance shown in a proposal released earlier this year.
Deriving a Democratic Solution to the Ukrainian War and Implications for The Relations Between France and the EU During Macron’s Visit to China
The political solution to the war was met with skepticism from European leaders, including Von der Leyen, as it was criticized as favoring Russia.
The joint condemnation of the threat or use of nuclear weapons in Ukrainianstan was a move analysts saw more as a statement from China than a diplomatic win for Germany.
Xi will also play host while China eyes another key meeting – between Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, expected to take place Wednesday in California.
But a show of force, like the military exercises it unleashed around the self-governing island during a visit to Taiwan from then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi last year, are unlikely to sit well with Macron and von der Leyen.
Also in the mix are the extensive business interests extending between the two sides – and the challenges of navigating these as Europe has adopted a more cautious view on China – which the EU now classifies as a “systemic rival.”
Macron will be joined on the trip by the heads of some of France’s biggest companies, including aircraft manufacturer Airbus
(EADSF), BNP Paribas, and L’Oreal, with some expected to finalize or even sign new deals during the trip.
The visit would give France the chance to find new parameters for the bilateral relationship, after three years without state visits between the two sides.
A person with knowledge of Von der Leyen’s visit to China said that she will meet the EU Chamber of Commerce in China.
“Our relations are not black or white, and our response cannot be either,” she said in Brussels last week, pointing to Europe’s need to “focus on de-risk, not de-couple” from China.
The Chinese president said the two nations can overcome their differences and responsibilities by working together on the issues of climate change and African development.
During his speech to the French community in Beijing on Wednesday, he said that China can play a major role in the conflict in Ukraine because of its close relationship with Russia. He said it would be wrong to have an exclusive dialogue with China with regards to the path towards peace in Ukranian.
A recent example of China as mediator was on show in Beijing on Thursday, as Saudi Arabia’s and Iran’s Foreign Ministers signed a joint statement related to the resumption of their bilateral relations after seven years, following a landmark agreement mediated by China last month.