French President Emmanuel Macron told Chinese President Xi Jinping that he was counting on him to “bring Russia to its senses” and bring all parties back to the negotiating table during their tete-tete meeting in Beijing, where the French president is making an official visit.

“I know that I can count on you to bring Russia back to reason and all parties to sit down at the negotiating table,” said Xi Emmanuel Macron.

“The Russian attack on Ukraine dealt a blow to international stability,” the French president said.

The Chinese president hailed China’s relations with France in a world undergoing “profound historical change.” “Today, the world is undergoing profound historical changes,” Xi said, stressing that the relationship between Paris and Beijing, however, has experienced a “positive and smooth development.”

The two leaders will hold a joint press conference at 12:30 Greek time, followed by a trilateral meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

The aim of the two European leaders is to make sure that their voice is heard by Xi, a close ally of Moscow, whom they assign a role to in the peace process in Ukraine.

Emmanuel Macron previously met with Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang, with whom they discussed the war in Ukraine, according to the French president. The French President emphasized “the importance of dialogue between China and France in these turbulent times we are going through.”

He then met with Chairman of the National Assembly of China Zhao Leji, to whom he pointed out “the impact of the war in Ukraine on the global security of strategic balances.”

For her part, Ursula von der Leyen received Li Chang, to whom she stressed “that relations between the European Union and China have become more complicated in recent years and today it is important to jointly discuss all aspects of these relations, especially in this unstable geopolitical situation.”

Source: APE-MPE, Reuters, AFP.