President Macron Meets Xi Jinping on the Sidelines of G20 Summit: France Expects China's Cooperation on Ukraine

JAKARTA - The French presidency said on Tuesday Paris and Beijing needed to work together more closely to address the consequences of war in Ukraine, after Emmanuel Macron met Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia.

France, along with its Western partners, has been trying for several months to persuade countries that did not openly criticize Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, to take a tougher stance and push Russia to change course.

Paris is particularly hopeful that China will put the necessary pressure on President Vladimir Putin, although there is little sign of a change in China's position.

"The president expresses his deep concern over the choice made by Russia to continue this war in Ukraine", the French presidency said in a statement following a meeting of the leaders of the two countries.

"The consequences of this conflict extend beyond European borders and must be overcome with close cooperation between France and China", he said.

President Macron's office said the two leaders had agreed to urgently defuse the conflict in Ukraine and reaffirmed their position on preventing the use of nuclear weapons.

On Twitter, President Macron wrote, "France and China are determined to stop the escalation and address the consequences of the war in Ukraine, to support the most vulnerable countries, to decarbonize our economies, and to take action to protect biodiversity."

However, China's summary of the talks does not mention Ukraine until the last paragraph. It focuses more on respecting each other's core interests. And calls for France to provide a fairer, fairer, and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies in France.

"President Xi stated that China's position on the Ukraine crisis is clear and consistent; China supports a ceasefire, a cessation of conflict, and peace talks", the Beijing statement said, adding China would continue to work in its own way to play a constructive role.