According to French President Emmanuel Macron, China “plays an important role in creating peace” in the Ukraine war. In bilateral talks with China’s head of state and party leader Xi Jinping, Macron explored in Beijing whether China would use its influence over its “strategic partner” Russia.
Then there was a round of three with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. According to Macron, he wanted to try to “involve China in terms of a shared responsibility for peace and stability”.
Opening talks with Macron, Xi Jinping praised the development of relations between the two permanent members of the Security Council. As large countries with a tradition of independence, China and France have “the ability and responsibility to overcome differences,” Xi Jinping said. Both also supported multilateralism. He was convinced that the three-day state visit would also give “new impetus and a new atmosphere” to relations between China and Europe.
China’s position paper on the Ukraine conflict controversial
In Macron’s view, China could play a bigger role in ending the Ukraine conflict because of its close ties with Russia. China has reaffirmed compliance with the UN Charter, which includes territorial integrity and sovereignty of individual countries. “Defending them means moving forward together and trying to find a path to peace,” Macron emphasized in a speech at the French embassy the night before. So far, however, China has not shown any initiative to become more involved or to influence Russia.
Macron referred to the controversial Chinese position paper on the Ukraine conflict presented in February: “Do we agree with that in full? No, but it’s interesting,” said Macron. This shows China’s “willingness to get involved in solving the conflict”. The 12-point document calls for a ceasefire and a resumption of negotiations. However, it was received critically internationally because it showed no initiative to resolve the conflict, did not condemn the invasion and, with criticism of the West, rather reflected the Russian argument.
Beijing gives Putin political backing
China has been providing political backing for President Vladimir Putin since the invasion of Ukraine a good year ago. The alliance also reflects the geostrategic rivalry with the United States. The United States and NATO are portrayed by Beijing as the main culprits in the conflict. While Xi Jinping met with Putin in Moscow two weeks ago, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has not even spoken on the phone since the beginning of the war. China’s ambassador in Brussels, Fu Cong, told the New York Times that Xi Jinping was “very busy,” according to the paper.
Not only China’s support for Putin, but also other issues have brought ties to a rock bottom: differences over trade imbalances, human rights violations, China’s territorial claims and threats against democratic Taiwan. Against the background of the bad experiences with the excessive dependence on Russia, there are also growing concerns about the dangers in the widespread economic cooperation with the second largest economy.
“Risk reduction instead of decoupling”
In dealing with China, there are also differences between Macron and von der Leyen, as well as Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who are more critical. From their point of view, China has changed under Xi Jinping and is becoming more repressive and aggressive. Macron and von der Leyen both spoke out against decoupling, but the EU Commission President put more emphasis on the need to reduce the dangers. “I think it is neither feasible nor in Europe’s interest to decouple from China. Our relations are not either black or white – and our answer cannot be either,” said von der Leyen. “That’s why we need to focus on risk mitigation rather than decoupling.”
Despite all the concerns, the expansion of economic cooperation between France and China is an important topic of Macron’s visit. He is accompanied by a 60-strong, top-class French business delegation – including representatives of the European aircraft manufacturer Airbus, the world’s second largest electricity producer Électricité de France EDF, the train manufacturer Alstom and the waste disposal company and water supplier Veolia.
