Europe News Desk!! French President Emmanuel Macron has asked his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to hold talks with Russia to end the war in Ukraine. Macron arrived in Beijing on Wednesday on a state visit to China with hopes of ending the war, reports CNN. Ukraine topped the agenda, although Macron’s visit also has a strong economic stake. New deals are expected to be finalized or signed during the visit along with a delegation of some 50 businessmen. He is accompanied by the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. The BBC reported that Macron and Xi held closed-door talks on Thursday, which officials from both countries described as frank and friendly. Later, the two Presidents jointly addressed the media at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
In his opening statement, Macron told Xi: I know I can count on you to stop Russia from war, and bring you all back together for talks. He said that Russia has destroyed decades of peace in Europe and that the pursuit of international peace is as important to China as it is to France and Europe. As long as Ukraine is occupied, we cannot have a secure and stable Europe, Macron said, adding that it was unacceptable that a member of the UN Security Council violated the organization’s charter. For his part, the Chinese leader stressed his country’s position on the Ukraine issue, which is consistent and clear, Xinhua news agency reported. It is essentially about facilitating peace talks and a political solution. There is no panacea to ease the crisis. Xi said this requires all sides to work, create conditions for a ceasefire and build trust for peace talks, and added that China supports Europe in playing its role in the political settlement of the crisis.
He also said that peace talks should resume as soon as possible and urged the international community to remain rational, exercise restraint and refrain from taking actions that could worsen the crisis or spiral out of control. The Chinese leader reiterated that nuclear weapons should not be used and a nuclear war should not be fought, as well as opposing the use of biological weapons under any circumstances. The president said that China will remain in contact with France and seek a political solution to the crisis. Ready to play a constructive role. Since the start of the war in February 2022, China has claimed neutrality and tried to position itself as a peacemaker. It has also released its own Peace Plan, which Western countries generally dismiss as being biased towards Russia. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed interest and called for direct talks with Xi, who has yet to respond publicly. Macron’s visit is politically significant. Macron will continue his state visit on Friday with a visit to Guangzhou, China’s southern commercial hub.
–IANS
PK/SKP
World News Desk!!