Cover image: Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, is welcomed by Chinese President Xi Jinping during an official ceremony at the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing, Thursday, April 6, 2023. JEAN CLAUDE COUTAUSSE FOR “THE WORLD”
Emmanuel Macron concludes, Friday, April 7, a three-day visit to China, where he went accompanied by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and met on several occasions Xi Jinping.
The French head of state had not been to China since November 2019. Three and a half years during which relations between Beijing and Western countries have been disrupted, in particular by the Covid-19 pandemic and the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.
The Russian invasion, which China has never formally condemned, was discussed by Emmanuel Macron and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday. As early as Wednesday, in a speech to the French community in Beijing, the French head of state felt that China might “play a major role” in the resolution of the conflict. According to him, the « dialogue » with the authorities in Beijing is « indispensable ».
What is your assessment of this trip? Our correspondent in Beijing, Frédéric Lemaître, answers your questions from 10 a.m..
To go deeper
Narrative. In Beijing, Emmanuel Macron fails to convince Xi Jinping to make a move on Ukraine
Decryption. In China, the minefield visit of Emmanuel Macron and Ursula von der Leyen
Tribune. “Emmanuel Macron and Ursula von der Leyen’s visit to Beijing should be an opportunity to send a message of firmness to the Chinese authorities”
Chronic. “Xi Jinping wants to rely on the “Global South” to circumvent a hostile North and establish himself as an unavoidable power”
Chronic. “Xi Jinping’s very anti-Western discourse, shared by Vladimir Putin, complicates the dilemma of Europeans in relation to China”
