French President Emmanuel Macron has met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing, urging them to put aside their differences and cooperate on key global issues. During a three-day visit, the two leaders held talks that covered everything from ending Russia's war in Ukraine to addressing economic imbalances.
Macron made it clear that he believed China had a crucial role to play in bringing Russia to the negotiating table over the conflict. His words came after months of EU and US-led efforts to broker a ceasefire, with Macron saying that "sometimes there are differences, but it is our responsibility to overcome them for the greater good."
However, the exact nature of any agreements made between the two leaders was unclear, with Macron and other EU officials accusing China of providing economic support to Russia in its war effort. Beijing has consistently denied these claims.
Macron's visit comes after he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris just days earlier, as the US-led ceasefire efforts continue to gain momentum. The French president is keen for China to use its influence over Russia to bring an end to the conflict, with a diplomatic official stating that Paris expected Beijing to "refrain from providing Russia with any means whatsoever to continue the war."
In response, Xi Jinping called on France and China to strengthen their strategic partnership and work together to exclude any interference. However, analysts believe that Taiwan was likely at the forefront of Beijing's agenda during the talks.
Macron and Xi also discussed trade, with Macron calling for China to work with G7 countries to establish fairer and stronger economic rules, rather than a system based on "survival of the fittest." The two leaders signed 12 cooperation agreements, covering topics such as nuclear energy, panda conservation, and investment.
Macron's visit is seen as an effort by Paris to strengthen ties with Beijing and gain leverage over Russia in the conflict. However, it remains to be seen whether these efforts will yield any significant results.
Macron made it clear that he believed China had a crucial role to play in bringing Russia to the negotiating table over the conflict. His words came after months of EU and US-led efforts to broker a ceasefire, with Macron saying that "sometimes there are differences, but it is our responsibility to overcome them for the greater good."
However, the exact nature of any agreements made between the two leaders was unclear, with Macron and other EU officials accusing China of providing economic support to Russia in its war effort. Beijing has consistently denied these claims.
Macron's visit comes after he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris just days earlier, as the US-led ceasefire efforts continue to gain momentum. The French president is keen for China to use its influence over Russia to bring an end to the conflict, with a diplomatic official stating that Paris expected Beijing to "refrain from providing Russia with any means whatsoever to continue the war."
In response, Xi Jinping called on France and China to strengthen their strategic partnership and work together to exclude any interference. However, analysts believe that Taiwan was likely at the forefront of Beijing's agenda during the talks.
Macron and Xi also discussed trade, with Macron calling for China to work with G7 countries to establish fairer and stronger economic rules, rather than a system based on "survival of the fittest." The two leaders signed 12 cooperation agreements, covering topics such as nuclear energy, panda conservation, and investment.
Macron's visit is seen as an effort by Paris to strengthen ties with Beijing and gain leverage over Russia in the conflict. However, it remains to be seen whether these efforts will yield any significant results.
I'm kinda curious about Macron's approach here... like he's trying to get China to mediate between him and Russia on Ukraine, which is fair, but what if China's interests aren't totally aligned with the EU's? And then there's this thing about China providing economic support to Russia... that doesn't sit well with everyone. 
Still, it's interesting to see Macron trying to broker a deal, especially since it comes after he met with Zelenskyy just days earlier. Maybe Xi Jinping did bring up Taiwan? 
but at the same time, there's been some shady stuff going on between china and russia, like china giving russia economic support or whatever...AND NOW MACRON IS ACCUSING CHINA OF THAT AGAIN 
either way, i think it's cool that macron is trying to bring all these countries together, even if it doesn't seem to be working out yet 
there were like, 12 coop agreements signed 
but did they actually achieve anything 
? it feels like they're playing a game of geopolitics 
with Russia and china as the main players 
anyway, macron's whole vibe is about cooperation and global issues 
which is cool i guess 
what really got me tho was when xi Jinping called for france and china to strengthen their strategic partnership 
but did they actually discuss taiwan 
.
And with China's stated interest in strengthening its strategic partnership with France, it's hard not to wonder if this is all just a clever ruse to gain leverage over Russia 
. On the other hand, if Macron can actually get China to use its influence to bring an end to the conflict, that would be a major coup for Paris 
That's like saying you can trust someone after one conversation. What if Xi has his own agenda and is using Macron for his own gain? The EU and US have been warning China about providing economic support to Russia, but did Macron really think he could get China to change its ways?
. What's really going on here? Need more info before i believe it 
. Meanwhile, Xi Jinping is over here saying China and France should work together, but let's be real, China's got its own agenda 
.
. But will China really listen to him? That's the million-dollar question 
. Either way, I think this trip is all about Paris trying to get in good with Beijing and maybe even use China as a lever against Russia 
.
I'm literally shaking my head right now thinking about Macron's diplomatic trip to China 
. Like, is he seriously expecting them to just magically start working together on everything without any strings attached? 
. Newsflash, dude: the world doesn't work that way 
.
. And what about Taiwan? Apparently that was the real agenda item during these talks 
.
And what about Taiwan? 
And hey, 12 cooperation agreements isn't bad - we should see some real progress on that front.
. It's clear that there are some tensions between China and Russia over this whole Ukraine thing - it's just weird that Beijing is denying all those claims of providing economic support to Russia 
.
. Fingers crossed! 
it's crazy how much influence china has in the world right now, especially with xi being so powerful