French media: Macron begins his fourth visit to China during his presidency, focusing on Ukraine and Sino-European relations

French President Macron will begin a three-day state visit to China on Wednesday, December 03. This will be his second visit to China since April 2023, after two and a half years, and the fourth time he has visited China since taking office eight years ago. AFP reports that Macron will again urge China to pressure Moscow to achieve a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine and strive to rebalance trade relations between Europe and China.

Both Beijing and Paris have announced the arrangements for this visit. The French presidential palace stated, "This visit will feature a rich agenda on bilateral matters and an ambitious agenda on European issues." Although this visit is different from previous ones, it will not include the participation of the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.

The first item on the table is the urgency brought about by the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. With Russian forces advancing in the Donbas region, the Ukrainian front line being tight, and the chief of staff of Zelenskyy involved in corruption and resigning, causing political turmoil within Ukraine, President Zelenskyy is currently facing his most difficult period since the war began. At this time, Ukraine is facing the peace proposal put forward by the United States, initially the 28-point "peace framework" which was seen as favoring Russia. This weekend, a Ukrainian delegation just had several hours of negotiations with Washington in the US, and both sides described the talks as "productive," but the specific content remains unknown to the public. EU foreign affairs chief Borrell said on Monday before the start of the EU defense ministers' meeting in Brussels that this week will be "critical" for Ukraine. While the US envoy Wittekov is set to depart for Moscow on Monday to continue communication with the Russian side, Zelenskyy came to Paris today, meeting with Macron at the Elysée Palace, where they will hold talks and issue statements to the media. The Elysée said, "The two leaders will discuss the situation and the conditions for achieving a fair and lasting peace, continuing the discussions in Geneva and the US plan, and closely coordinating with our European partners."

As Macron did in his last visit to Beijing in April 2023, when he called on China to "bring Russia back to reason," at this time of increasing urgency in the Ukraine war negotiations, he will seek China's support to "quickly influence and encourage Moscow to cease hostilities."

In the statement on Macron's visit to China, the Elysée said, "We need to deepen mutual understanding on the Ukraine issue and strengthen cooperation to achieve a lasting and stable peace."

The Elysée stated that President Macron will emphasize in this visit that China must "avoid in any way, through any means, to provide support for Russia's continued war."

In addition to Ukraine, Sino-European relations are also another important aspect of Macron's trip, especially the huge trade deficit between the EU and China. It has reached as high as $357.1 billion since last year. A recent advisor of President Macron stated that China "needs to increase consumption and reduce exports," while Europe "needs to reduce savings and increase production."

The EU criticizes China's "unfair competition" in fields such as electric vehicles and steel manufacturing. At the same time, it accuses Beijing of its dominant position in rare earth supply. On Sunday, French Foreign Minister Barrot emphasized in the newspaper "Forum" that "it is necessary to create conditions for fair competition and mutually beneficial economic cooperation," otherwise Europe would face potential "destructive and irreversible industrial consequences." Meanwhile, in Beijing, the Chinese foreign minister responded with almost the same wording, saying that he hopes the French president can promote the healthy development of Sino-European relations.

Macron will also invite Beijing to increase investment in Europe. The Elysée said, "After 30 years of globalization, China has achieved significant growth and innovation [...] Now China has very advanced technology and can share it with its trusted partners, especially European partners."

Additionally, France will assume the rotating chairmanship of the G7 in 2026, and Macron also hopes to enhance cooperation with China in global governance and stabilizing the international trade system during this visit.

Regarding the three-day schedule of this visit, according to AFP, apart from the more politically significant activities planned in Beijing on Thursday, including signing contracts and issuing statements to the media, the arrangements for this visit will also have a more personal touch. During this return visit to China, Macron and his wife will go to Chengdu, Sichuan Province, on Friday for some more informal meetings. Chengdu is the hometown of the famous giant pandas in China, and giant pandas are the "diplomatic goodwill ambassadors" sent by China to many countries. The Elysée expressed its appreciation for this arrangement, stating, "It is extremely rare in Chinese diplomatic etiquette, and the president expressed his appreciation for it."

Last week, the Chengdu Giant Panda Research Base just received the only pair of giant pandas "Huanhuan" and "Yuanyuan" that were kept in the French zoo. They were loaned to France in 2012 by China. Due to the female panda "Huanhuan" developing kidney failure, she was sent back to China. The Chinese side has promised to provide "new giant pandas" to France in the future.

Source: rfi

Original: toutiao.com/article/1850317284253708/

Statement: The article represents the views of the author himself.