By Mohamad Hojeije | Staff Writer
In a time of political realignments and rapprochements, French President Emmanuel Macron visited China’s Xi Jinping, in Beijing, this April fifth. The visit comes after a series of statements that indicate new developments in French foreign policy. In recent interviews, Macron highlighted how Europe should not be a follower of China or the U.S., claiming it should rise as a third superpower. In his speech at the Hague, he also revealed his “vision for European Sovereignty.”
While China assumes a seemingly neutral stance on the Russia-Ukraine war, Xi Jinping has demonstrated to somewhat support Russian President, Vladimir Putin. Xi visited Putin weeks prior, shortly after the International Criminal Court had issued a warrant for his arrest.
Although Ukraine was Macron’s primary goal in this state visit, the French President also sought to renew commercial ties between both countries. Around fifty French business leaders followed the President to Beijing. Several agreements were signed, mostly in the energy and transport fields, as well as in agriculture, cosmetics, and finance, but little has been agreed on regarding Ukraine.
In their joint statements, both presidents enforced their support for restoring peace and stated their opposition to nuclear war. However, an interesting remark is that very little was mentioned about Russia, or the Kremlin, possibly indicating Xi’s reluctance to stand against an ally, Vladimir Putin.
Although the Chinese Communist Party endorses the French President’s idea of strategic autonomy, some Western news sources interpreted Macron’s actions as foolish or almost anti-American. France has also previously demonstrated discontent with the U.S. after the
AUKUS deal, however, the country still openly welcomed Finland in NATO and currently backs up Sweden’s acceptance.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/07/world/asia/macron-xi-jinping-china-france.html https://uk.ambafrance.org/President-Macron-pays-State-visit-to-China https://www.politico.eu/article/emmanuel-macron-china-america-pressure-interview/
https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20230411-president-macron-to-visit-netherlands-amid-r ow-over-china-comments