French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Paris on Wednesday to discuss the war in Ukraine and cooperation on the climate crisis as tensions between China and the United States flare again, AFP reported.

The meeting will follow a meeting between the French president and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the G20 summit in Bali on November 15, the Elysee Palace announced on Tuesday.

“The meeting will make it possible to continue discussions about the war in Ukraine and its consequences,” the French president added.

“The issue of cooperation with China in the face of global challenges, at the forefront of which are climate, biodiversity and financing of transitions, will also be considered,” the French presidency said.

Wang Yi will be received by the president at 12:00 local time (11:00 GMT), and in the evening he will meet with French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonnade.

At the end of the week, he will attend a security conference in Munich, where Emmanuel Macron and US Vice President Kamala Harris are also expected.

The visit comes as efforts to warm Sino-US relations were stalled by the flight over the United States of a Chinese hot air balloon shot down on February 4 by Washington, which accuses Beijing of espionage despite China’s denials. (Agerpress)