Russia-Ukraine war and trade ties on agenda as France's Emmanuel Macron begins China trip

French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will land in China on Wednesday (April 5), in a rare and significant three-day state visit amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. Macron and von der Leyen are also scheduled to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. This will be von der Leyen's first trip since becoming European Commission president, while Macron last visited China in 2019.

The visitcomes against the backdrop of Beijing's peace plans to end the ongoing fighting in Ukraine. China had floated a peace plan as a 12-point foreign ministry paper for a gradual de-escalation of the war, which has led to global crises, including food and fuel.

The Western leaders and Ukrainian allies will seek resetting ties with an important economic partner China amid an evident shift in the world order. Some reports claimed that Macronwill visit China hoping to persuade Beijing to not support Russia's invasion of Ukraine apart from attempting to forge closer ties with a crucial trade partner.

Xi recently visited Moscow and met with President Vladimir Putin. Putin told his Chinese counterpart that their countries shared many "common goals" and also said that the visit was "symbolic".

Russia and China presented a unified front against the West and both leaderscalled each other "dear friends" and hailed a "new era" in their nations' ties.

Noah Barkin, an analyst with Rhodium Group, told Reuter,"It's not the time to announce business deals or big new investments. It would essentially be a vote of confidence in the Chinese economy and send the message that France is not on board with the US approach."

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Meanwhile, the White House said that on the eve of his visit, Macron discussed his trip to China during a phone call with United States President Joe Biden.

News agency AFP cited a French diplomatic source, who noted that the two leaders said they want China to help "accelerate" the search for a solution to the war.

The source said that the conversation showed the "common will of France and the United States to engage the Chinese to accelerate with us the end of the war in Ukraine and build a lasting peace".

(With inputs from agencies)

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