Paris, April 5, (dpa/GNA) - French President Emmanuel Macron begins his three-day state visit to China on Wednesday, with Russia’s war in Ukraine to be the key topic, the Élysée Palace said on Tuesday.
Macron is expected at 3:15 pm in Beijing (0715 GMT). The trip is taking place at a time of high international tension, according to a statement from Paris.
“Given the proximity between China and Russia, it is clear that China is one of the few countries in the world, if not the only one, that can have a game-changer effect on this conflict,” Macron’s office said.
Macron will first meet with the local French community to discuss cultural relations with China. Talks with China’s head of state and party leader Xi Jinping are scheduled for Thursday – also in a three-way format with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
On this trip, Macron wants to re-establish ties with China and realign the relationship after a long pandemic-related break.
In a show of trans-Atlantic unity, Macron spoke by phone to US President Joe Biden ahead of his arrival in Beijing.
“The two heads of state discussed their common desire to engage China to accelerate the end of the war in Ukraine and to participate in building a lasting peace in the region,” the French embassy in Washington said.
Apart from the war in Ukraine and cultural cooperation, the focus will be on economic relations and China’s influence in the world, for example on environmental issues.
GNA