(Paris) Emmanuel Macron and Joe Biden “agreed on the importance of continuing to engage” China so that it contributes “in the medium term to the end of the conflict” in Ukraine, the French presidency reported on Thursday.
The French head of state, who spoke with his American counterpart by telephone about his recent visit to China, also reaffirmed his desire to see the Europeans continue “to rearm to assume their responsibilities in burden sharing of transatlantic security,” the Elysée said in a statement.
Paris believes that Beijing has “a role to play” in finding a resolution to Russia’s war in Ukraine for more than a year, due to its alliance with Moscow. In Beijing, Emmanuel Macron said he was counting on his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to “bring Russia to its senses”.
At the end of this visit, at the beginning of April, the Élysée had assured that Xi Jinping had said he was ready to work with France “to create the conditions for negotiations” between Moscow and Kyiv.
The “parameters” of this initiative must be defined within the framework of the Franco-Chinese strategic dialogue, piloted, on the one hand, by Emmanuel Bonne, diplomatic adviser to Emmanuel Macron, and on the other hand, by the senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi, whose next session is scheduled for the summer, according to Paris.
“The President of the Republic said that such a negotiation should be done with respect for international law and the sovereignty of Ukraine. He said only the Ukrainians could decide. He encouraged China to play a constructive role, particularly given its status as a permanent member of the Security Council,” the Elysée recalled this week.
Emmanuel Macron’s Chinese visit ended with remarks by the French president on the Taiwan question which had sparked criticism in Europe and the United States. He had called on the European Union not to be a “follower” of Washington or Beijing on the question of the island, before explaining that being an “ally” of the United States did not mean being “vassal” to it.
According to a statement from the White House, the American and French leaders discussed on Thursday “their continuing efforts to promote prosperity, security, shared values, and the international order based on the rule of law” in the Asia region. -Pacific, and “reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait”.
“The two presidents share the same desire to strengthen ongoing cooperation and support international law, including freedom of navigation, throughout the Indo-Pacific region,” said the Élysée without directly citing Taiwan.
According to the French press release, Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron “also discussed the extremely worrying situation in Sudan”.
