Xi Jinping will go to France to discuss the war in Ukraine with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron. Xi Jinping will also go to the Hautes-Pyrenees, in southwestern France, for a more personal visit, the Elysee Palace said on Monday, according to AFP.
The visit is part of a wider European tour that includes Serbia and Hungary.
“This visit comes on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries and follows the visit of the President of the Republic to Beijing and Guangzhou in April 2023,” announced the press office of the French presidency in a statement.
This is the beginning of the first European tour of the Chinese president in Europe since the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, quoted by Xinhua, apart from France, Xi Jinping will also visit Serbia and Hungary, in the context of his European tour, scheduled for May 5-10.
The discussions in France will focus on international crises, primarily on the war in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East, on commercial aspects, on scientific, cultural and sports cooperation, as well as on our joint actions in the face of global challenges, especially the emergency climate, biodiversity protection and the financial situation of the most vulnerable countries’, the French presidency noted.
A year ago, in China, Emmanuel Macron asked Xi Jinping to “bring Russia to its senses” regarding Ukraine “and everyone to the negotiating table”. The Chinese president then said he was ready to call his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, according to the French delegation. The phone call took place shortly thereafter. But the diplomatic progress expected by France on the Russian-Ukrainian front stopped here, according to AFP.
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