Emmanuel Macron visits China without much hope of moving the lines
French President Emmanuel Macron pictured Monday, April 3, 2023 at the Élysée Palace in Paris. AP - Aurelien Morissard
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Emmanuel Macron arrives in China this Wednesday, April 5. Third state visit to Beijing for the French president against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine. Xi Jinping is very close to Vladimir Putin. The French number one will try to set red lines, without much hope of changing things.
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With our special envoy in Beijing, Julien Chavanne
"Reconnecting" with China is the watchword among Emmanuel Macron's team of diplomats. Because the war in Ukraine has cooled the Paris-Beijing line.
The entourage of the French president says he is also "lucid", realistic, on his chances of pushing Xi Jinping to move away from Moscow. But the France still hopes to find a "common space" with this key player in the conflict. Emmanuel Macron will have to say what is behind this diplomatic expression.
The French head of state will above all set a red line to his counterpart: no delivery of weapons to Russia. A "decision that would be fatal," according to the Elysee.
Emmanuel Macron will not be alone in carrying this message. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, is on the trip. A European front to try to weigh more against the Chinese giant.
For concrete, it will rather look at the contracts that will be signed with the large delegation of business leaders who accompany Mr. Macron. But also in the cultural field, much more consensual. The composer Jean-Michel Jarre and the Chinese actress Gong Li are part of the delegation.
► Also listen: Macron will draw "Xi Jinping's attention to the war in Ukraine to find a solution"
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Read on on the same topics:
- French politics
- France
- Emmanuel Macron
- China
- Diplomacy
- Xi Jinping