Ukraine, EU Relations: Macron to Have a Busy Agenda in China

Emmanuel Macron is set to travel to China from Wednesday to Friday, where he will once again ask his counterpart Xi Jinping to exert pressure on Moscow for a ceasefire in Ukraine and to work towards rebalancing trade relations between China and Europe.

This will be Macron's fourth state visit to the Asian giant since he took office at the Élysée in 2017, accompanied by his wife Brigitte.

The French presidency assures that this visit will be rich in bilateral discussions and ambitious from a European perspective, despite the absence of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

"We need to better understand each other on the Ukrainian issue, to work more closely together towards a lasting and solid peace, and to clarify the economic and trade rules of the game," added the Élysée.

As he did during his last trip to Beijing in April 2023, where he urged Xi Jinping to "bring Russia to its senses," Macron will seek support to "influence and guide Moscow towards a ceasefire as quickly as possible," coinciding with intensified negotiations to resolve the crisis in Ukraine.

However, while China regularly calls for peace talks and respects the territorial integrity of all nations—including Ukraine—it has never condemned Russia for its invasion.

In a sign of the strong Russo-Chinese relations, Xi Jinping hosted Vladimir Putin in grand style in early September to celebrate the 80th anniversary of China's victory over Japan.

Western capitals accuse China of providing crucial economic support to Moscow for its war efforts. Beijing "supplies military components and cooperates with the Russian defense industry," noted Finnish Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen in mid-November.

Macron will insist that China must "refrain from providing any means, by any means, for Russia to continue the war," according to the Élysée.

The relationship between China and Europe, characterized by a massive trade deficit of $357.1 billion against the EU, will also be on the agenda again.

"It is necessary for China to consume more and export less (...) and for Europeans to save less and produce more," emphasized a senior advisor to President Macron.

The European Union denounces "unfair competition" from China, from electric cars to steel. It also accuses the Asian giant of exercising a form of "racketeering" in the supply of rare earths, of which it dominates global production.

There is a need to "recreate the conditions for fair competition for all and beneficial economic cooperation for each," reiterated French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot in the Tribune Dimanche, warning of potentially "devastating and irreversible industrial consequences" in Europe otherwise.

In a perfect mirroring, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi expressed hope that the French president would encourage a "healthy development of relations between China and the EU."

Macron will also invite Beijing to invest more heavily in Europe. "After 30 years of globalization that have greatly allowed China to grow and innovate (...) the Chinese now have particularly advanced technologies that can be shared with their trusted partners, especially Europeans," the Élysée asserted.

As he prepares to chair the G7 in 2026, Macron will also propose to Xi Jinping to work together to reduce global economic imbalances.

In addition to the essential political discussions scheduled for Thursday in Beijing, with contract signings and press statements, this trip, following Xi Jinping's visit to France in May 2024, will have a more personal touch.

Similar to last year in the Pyrenees, which are dear to Macron, the two presidential couples will meet on Friday in a more informal setting in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, the birthplace of giant pandas that have become ambassadors for China worldwide.

"This is quite exceptional in Chinese protocol and is appreciated as such by the president of the Republic," the French presidency noted.

A pair of giant pandas, loaned to France since 2012, has just been returned to the Chengdu Conservation Center, and Beijing has already promised to replace them.