French President Emmanuel Macron is set to arrive in Beijing on Wednesday, where he is expected to exert pressure on his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to help secure a ceasefire in Ukraine and discuss trade relations, according to Kyiv Post.
Macron, on his fourth state visit to China since taking office in 2017, will meet with Xi and Premier Li Qiang at the Great Hall of the People in the capital before heading to Chengdu, where two giant pandas recently returned to France on loan are located.
Efforts to end the nearly four-year war in Ukraine are expected to be on the agenda.
"We are counting on China, which, like us, is a permanent member of the Security Council... to exert pressure on Russia, so that Russia and, in particular, Vladimir Putin ultimately accept a ceasefire," said French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Monday.
"China can play a crucial role in guiding Russia's Vladimir Putin to make the right decision," he added on French radio.
Macron made similar appeals during his last trip to China in April 2023, as well as during Xi's visit to France in May 2024, with limited success.
China, hesitant to condemn Russia
China regularly calls for peace negotiations and respect for the territorial integrity of all countries, but has never condemned Russia for the 2022 invasion.
Western governments accuse Beijing of providing crucial economic support to Russia for its war effort, especially by supplying military components for its defense industry.
The French presidency stated that Macron will tell Xi that China must "refrain from providing Russia, by any means, with any means to continue the war."
Macron's three-day visit follows a visit to Paris this week by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who urged Europe to support Kyiv, while US President Donald Trump promotes a plan to end the war.
European countries fear that Trump's supported proposal risks forcing Kyiv to yield to Russia's demands, especially regarding territory.
"We share the view that the war must end fairly," Zelensky wrote on X after Monday's discussions with Macron, which also included phone calls with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other European leaders.