Emmanuel Macron said, Wednesday, November 16, wish that Beijing plays “a more important role of mediation” in the war in Ukraine. “There is a space for convergence, including with major emerging countries such as China and India, to push Russia to de-escalate”, declared the French president to the press at the end of the G20 summit in Indonesia. He said he discussed with Chinese President Xi Jinping the “principle” of a visit to China in early 2023.
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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on Ukraine and Russia not to let the war “overflow” at the UN General Assembly in New York. “The priority is to facilitate peace negotiations”he insisted, calling for a “peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian crisis” through discussions “fair and pragmatic”. Officially neutral, China is sometimes accused by Westerners of being too conciliatory with Russia.
After the missile fall in Poland, Beijing called on all actors to “calm”. “China’s position on the Ukraine issue has been the same from the beginning and it is clear: the top priority is to conduct dialogue and negotiations to resolve the crisis peacefully,” said a Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman.