France looks to China for Ukraine resolution
After an April 1st meeting of French and Chinese foreign ministers in Beijing, the officials held a joint press conference addressing the Russia-Ukraine war and economic relations as the countries work to strengthen bilateral ties.
France’s Stephane Sejourne said he expects “China to send very clear messages to Russia” regarding a Ukraine resolution, according to AFP.
During the meeting, Sejourne purportedly pressed his counterpart on Beijing’s relationship with Moscow, which has only strengthened since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. While China claims to be a neutral party in the conflict, it has not condemned Russia for the war and remains one of its closest strategic and economic partners.
France, however, has become one of Ukraine’s core backers, with President Emmanuel Macron refusing to rule out sending troops to support Ukraine, on March 2nd.
READ: Macron won’t rule out sending NATO troops to Ukraine
Sejourne stressed to his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, the need for a Ukraine resolution to ensure European security, and that “it is an essential issue for us, which is why France is determined to maintain a close dialogue with China.” Beijing, he said, could play a “key role” in ensuring respect for international law is maintained.
The meeting of the French and Chinese officials comes as US House Speaker Mike Johnston hinted to “important innovations” regarding a blocked Ukraine aid package, with a vote scheduled for April 9th.
Agreement on an aid package has been blocked by republican hard-liners, as “the spectre of [Donald] Trump” has “loomed large over the wrangling for a Ukraine deal,” according to The Guardian.
France’s efforts to improve diplomatic ties comes amid a EU-wide “derisking” of economic relations with Beijing, an attempt to shield the bloc from excessive reliance on China necessitated by the supply shortfalls of the COVID-19 pandemic and Ukraine war.
READ: Putin responds to Macron over Russian influence in Africa
Some US policy makers, however, are intent on a more drastic “decoupling” with China, aiming to cut all commercial ties and isolate the country. The EU, however, increasingly sees Beijing as a “partner,” as-well-as “an economic competitor and systemic rival”, according to a recent report by the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China.
During the April 1st press conference, Sejourne said decoupling was not in France’s interests but rather that an “economic rebalancing” was needed to ensure trade is “healthy and sustainable.”
Wang stressed the risk that decoupling would prove to China’s partners, stating: “I believe that it has been proved, and will continue to prove, that China is an opportunity and not a risk for Europe. Both sides are partners and not rivals,”
Sejourne’s Beijing visit is part of events marking 60 years of diplomatic relations between France and the People’s Republic of China. He is the second French FM to visit the country in less than six months, following predecessor Catherine Colonna in November 2023.
AFP / The Guardian
