China, France and the EU “all want a rapid ceasefire and the return of peace to Europe, and support a political solution to the Ukrainian crisis”. The parties, said President Xi Jinping, meeting President Emmanuel Macron and the President of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen at the Elysée, “must jointly oppose the extension and escalation of the fighting, create the conditions for talks peace, safeguard international energy and food security and keep industrial and supply chains stable”, according to a report released by Beijing’s diplomacy.
As for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Xi said that “the urgent task is to achieve a comprehensive ceasefire as quickly as possible.” The Chinese president underlined that “the fundamental priority is to guarantee humanitarian assistance” to Gaza, while the primary way out is the implementation “of the two-state solution. China supports Palestine’s full membership of the UN” and “a more broad-based, authoritative and effective international peace conference.”
For his part, Macron, during the meeting with Xi, declared that ”coordination” with China on Ukraine and the Middle East is ”decisive”. Macron also called for ”fair rules for all” in world trade, once again invoking the urgency for the European Union of stronger trade reciprocity with Beijing.
Xi, China and the EU remain partners
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on his country and the European Union to strengthen their “strategic coordination” and remain “partners”, amid numerous disputes ranging from trade to human rights. “As two major world powers, China and the EU must remain partners, pursue dialogue and cooperation, deepen strategic communication, strengthen strategic mutual trust, consolidate strategic consensus and engage in strategic coordination,” Xi said all start of the meeting at the Elysée with Macron and Ursula von der Leyen.
Von der Leyen, ‘we want good relations and respect with China’
“The EU and China want good relations and given China’s global weight our commitment is to ensure mutual respect to avoid misunderstandings and find solutions to global challenges”. This was said by the President of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen in her opening speeches at the Paris trilateral meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and Chinese President Xi Jinping. “China is important for the EU to address major global challenges, such as our common fight against climate change,” he added, underlining that “it is important that today” the EU and China talk “about how to cooperate by identifying where each other’s interests are aligned.”
Xi Jinping at the Elysée
Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived at the Elysée Palace for the official start of his two-day state visit to France, marking 60 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. He was welcomed by his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in the courtyard of honor of the presidential palace, where the Republican Guard was deployed. The two men will then have a first meeting in the presence of the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, who has arrived to discuss the numerous trade disputes with Beijing.
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