Macron’s Visit to China: Focus on Trade Over Ukraine

French President Emmanuel Macron wrapped up his trip to China on Friday. During this visit, he reportedly pressured Xi Jinping, who is closely aligned with Vladimir Putin, to halt the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Western media outlets have mentioned that Macron attempted to convince Xi to take a more active role in preventing the violence, while Chinese news emphasized Macron’s eagerness to boost trade between Paris and Beijing, including sharing nuclear energy technology. While Chinese outlets claimed that Xi would play a “productive” role regarding Ukraine, they also pointed out that discussions leaned more towards cultural exchanges and trade.

The fact that Ukraine wasn’t a major topic during Macron’s visit stands out, given China’s dubious history of bolstering Russia and enabling its aggression towards Ukraine. Reports indicate that China significantly contributes to sanctions violations that support Russia’s military actions, even supplying satellite intelligence to help target Ukrainian defenses. Additionally, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy shared a video that purportedly shows Chinese nationals fighting alongside Russians in Ukraine.

Macron has been one of the loudest advocates for increased Western aid to Ukraine, yet he seemed somewhat restrained during this visit. He had spoken with Zelensky right before departing for Beijing and expressed his intent to rally multiple nations to provide military assistance to Ukraine.

Chinese state television, CCTV, reported that the primary subjects of discussion between Macron and Xi included “nuclear energy, agriculture, food, education, and environmental issues,” leading to several agreed-upon collaborations. The Chinese government’s official media, Global Times, noted that Macron highlighted Xi’s notions of “global governance” and “multilateralism,” which some interpret as attempts to diminish American influence worldwide.

“France fully agrees with President Xi Jinping’s views on reforming global governance to create a more equitable global economy,” Macron was quoted as saying.

Despite mentions of Ukraine in reports, Xi’s comments lacked clarity regarding any specific commitments he might have made following Macron’s suggestions. It was unclear if Xi would proactively persuade Russia to cease its territorial infringements. The extent of China’s alliance with Russia was also notably absent from the narratives.

“China supports all initiatives aimed at peace and will play a constructive role in achieving a political resolution, in its own way,” Xi was reported to have articulated. He encouraged European nations to contribute to creating a balanced and sustainable European security framework.

Similarly, in a statement reported by Global Times, Xi expressed hope for a fair and binding peace agreement through dialogue, without acknowledging the significant financial support China currently provides to Russia.

While foreign media placed the invasion of Ukraine higher on their agenda than Chinese outlets did, they also reported few specifics about the discussions. Macron claimed he was “asking the Chinese government to help end the Russia-Ukraine war,” suggesting that China could back calls for “at least a ceasefire.”

I think there’s a recognition that getting China to influence Russia might be challenging, especially given their financial ties. A report from Germany earlier revealed that China was linked to around 80 percent of efforts to bypass Western sanctions against Russia aimed at halting its aggressive actions. Chinese investments in Eastern Russia reportedly exceed 90%, making them the leading investors in that region.

The Ukrainian government has also accused China of backing military operations. An October statement from a Ukrainian intelligence official indicated that there was evidence China was sharing critical satellite data used in attacks against Ukraine.

“We have proof of high-level cooperation between Russia and China in satellite reconnaissance of Ukraine, aimed at identifying strategic targets,” the official noted at the time.