Von, Macron meet Xi on ending war in Ukraine

Emmanuel Thomas l Thursday, April 6, 2023

BEIJING – European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and President of France, Emmanuel Macron were today in China to meet President Xi Jinping, to use his influence to weigh on President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.

They also talked about the importance of China to Europe and the need to persuade Xi not to send lethal weapons to Russia, following his refusal to condemn the war in Ukraine.

Von told the Chinese President that sending weapons to Russia will harm relationship with Europe.

This is taking place in face of sour relationship between the United States and China over influence of the US on Taiwan.

Von also stressed the need to discuss a relationship that has grown “more complex” in recent years, at the start of talks in Beijing with Chinese Premier Li Qiang.

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“China is of great importance to Europe with interdependencies and a long shared history,” von der Leyen said in a video posted on her Twitter account, adding that both sides have “benefited immensely” from the relationship.

“However EU-China relations have become more complex in the recent years,” she added, “And it is important that we discuss together all the aspects of our relations today.

“This will help both the European Union and China to navigate a complex and volatile geopolitical environment.”

Von der Leyen made reference to her father Ernst Albrecht who had visited China as premier of the German state of Lower Saxony in the 1980s. At the time he had struck one of the first cooperation deals between a Chinese province and a German state, she noted.