The Russian invasion of Ukraine was the focus of talks between French President Emmanuel Macron and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Tuesday (November 15th). The French Head of State called on their two countries to ” link “ their « forces » against the war in Ukraine, emphasizing that the “stability” of the world was also in “interest” from China. According to the Elysée, Mr. Macron asked Xi Jinping to bring back Vladimir Putin “at the negotiating table”.
It suits “to join forces to respond both to the major international challenges, you mentioned that of the climate to name just one and undoubtedly the most significant, but also to international crises such as the war launched by Russia in Ukraine for which the G20 is an appropriate format”launched the French president at the start of a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit which opened on Tuesday in Bali.
China has not condemned the Russian offensive in Ukraine launched on February 24 and remains very reluctant, like many southern countries, including Indonesia, to criticize Moscow, including at the G20 summit.
The G20 should issue a communiqué in which ” most “ members of the group strongly condemn the Russian offensive in Ukraine, however, a senior US official said on Tuesday.
The G20 summit should “reduce the tensions, the gaps that there are in the international environment and allow us to build what I believe is in the interest of both China and France, that is to say real stability , tangible elements of cooperation that allow us to bring peace wherever conflict has arisen”, noted the French president. It should also contribute to “ensure economic prosperity, especially for our middle classes, and do so while reducing (CO₂) emissions and therefore winning the battle for climate and biodiversity”he said.
Emmanuel Macron also insisted on his “willingness to give new impetus to the resumption of cooperation” with China, particularly on the front of global warming.
“Strengthening cooperation”
Xi Jinping, for his part, called on France and Europe to work, alongside China, to strengthen the “stability” in the world, without however mentioning the war in Ukraine.
“China and France, China and Europe must ensure that their relationship develops on the right long-term tracks in order to inject stability and positive energy into the world.”underlined the Chinese leader.
He also said he was ready to “strengthen cooperation” of China with France in order to “to face together the global challenges of energy security, climate change (…) and sustainable development”.
The meeting between the two leaders, which was held in the hotel of the Chinese delegation, lasted a little over forty minutes, according to the Elysée.
Emmanuel Macron addressed his “Wishing China Success” after the reappointment of Xi Jinping in October at the head of the Communist Party and the country.