Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, announced on Saturday that he would visit to China in April and encouraged Beijing to put pressure on Moscow to halt the conflict in Ukraine.
Even as it has maintained tight connections with Russia and assisted in thwarting an united statement condemning the war at a G20 summit in India, China has attempted to portray itself as a neutral party in the fight. On Friday, it released a 12-point position document calling for immediate peace talks and a “political settlement” to put an end to the fighting.
On Friday, Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, expressed interest in meeting his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and referred to it as “essential for international security.”
Macron announced on Saturday that he would travel to China in “early April” and encouraged Beijing to work with him to “place pressure” on Moscow to stop the conflict.
Macron stated during a Paris agricultural exhibition that the position paper was a good thing, as it showed China’s involvement in peace efforts. He added that halting Russian aggression, withdrawing troops, and respecting the territorial sovereignty of Ukraine and its people were necessary for achieving peace.
Alexander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus, will visit China from February 28 to March 2 at Xi’s invitation, according to a statement from the Chinese foreign ministry earlier on Saturday. Vladimir Putin’s longtime supporter Lukashenko permitted his nation to be used as a base for Moscow’s invasion of its pro-Western ally on February 24 of last year.
Given that Belarus and Ukraine announced the formation of an unified regional force in October, Kiev has expressed fear that Belarus would once more aid Moscow in its military endeavours.
Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang assures Belarus of support against foreign interference
During a phone call with Minsk on Friday, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang informed his Belarusian counterpart Sergei Aleinik that Beijing was eager to cooperate with Minsk to increase mutual political confidence.
According to Qin, China would also keep assisting Belarus in preserving its national security and rebuff any efforts made by “foreign forces” to meddle in Minsk’s domestic affairs or impose “illegal” unilateral sanctions on the city.
On Saturday, the G20 finance ministers failed to agree an united statement on the global economy as China tried to soften references to the Ukraine crisis. This exposed the diplomatic gulf between Beijing, Moscow, and the West.
Russia claimed that by attempting to impose their “diktat,” the United States, the European Union, and the G7 “destabilised” the discussions in India.
The Chinese position document asked all parties to help Russia and Ukraine work together and restart direct engagement as soon as possible.