Macron wants to convince Xi to influence Putin's decision to end war

French President Emmanuel Macron intends to deepen personal ties with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his two-day visit to France.

This was reported by Bloomberg.

Macron also wants to urge the Chinese leader to convince Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to end Russia's war in Ukraine.

Sources of the publication said that Macron also intends to attract Chinese investment in the electronic battery sector in France.

In particular, the French president intends to charm Xi with a dinner at the Elysee Palace in Paris, where the menu may include French cognac, “a liquor subject to a Beijing anti-dumping probe”.

Macron will then invite his Chinese counterpart to a corner of the Pyrenees, where the French president used to visit his grandmother as a child.

“France’s Emmanuel Macron offers Xi the opportunity to negotiate with a leading EU power that’s proved willing to carve a more independent path,” said Chong Ja Ian, an associate professor of political science at the National University of Singapore. This trip “is an effort to try to pull at parts of Europe that Xi feels might be more sympathetic to his position”, the publication says.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is planning to visit Europe for the first time in about five years amid rising tensions with the West over a range of issues, including trade, espionage allegations, and Beijing's support for Russia.

Xi Jinping's visit will last from May 5 to 10, and he plans to visit France, Serbia, and Hungary.

Author – Anastasiya Glotova, 30/04/2024