Chinese President Xi Jinping remains unswayed on Ukraine after talks with French President Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit this week to China for a face-to-face meeting with President Xi Jinping was less than fruitful when it came to the question of Ukraine.

During Macron's state visit to China, the two leaders held talks in Beijing, focusing on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Politico reported. According to the publication, Macron appeared to annoy Xi when he used his platform to condemn Russia and spoke twice as long after Xi delivered his prepared remarks.

“Xi himself at times looked impatient and annoyed as Macron continued speaking. The Chinese leader heaved several deep sighs and appeared uncomfortable as Macron addressed him directly while apparently ad-libbing on the Ukraine war and their joint responsibility to uphold peace,” Politico reported.

Xi reiterated China's willingness to cooperate with France and the international community to “maintain rationality and calm,” calling for the resumption of peace talks.

“Peace talks should be resumed as soon as possible, taking into account the reasonable security concerns of all sides with reference to the U.N. Charter … seeking political resolution and constructing a balanced, effective and sustainable European security framework,” he said.

Despite Macron's efforts to persuade his Chinese counterpart to use his influence with Russia to lean on Russia and bring an end to the conflict in favor of an outcome favorable to Ukraine, Xi maintained his long-standing position during their meeting, emphasizing the reasonable security concerns of all sides.

Macron had hoped to convince Xi to speak out against Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the Kremlin's threat to host nuclear missiles in Belarus. However, the Chinese leader remained noncommittal, emphasizing that the war was not China's responsibility.

Despite the lack of progress on the Ukraine issue, the talks were described as “frank and constructive” by an Elysée Palace official, per Politico.

During the state visit, French and Chinese officials signed multiple agreements, including the sale of 160 Airbus aircraft. While Macron continued to push for Xi's explicit condemnation of Russia's aggression against Ukraine, the Chinese position on the matter remained unchanged.

Xi and Macron will travel to the Chinese city of Guangzhou for further talks and a private dinner, where the French president may continue to seek China's support in addressing the Ukrainian crisis.

The two leaders also held talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who warned China against aiding Moscow's war efforts and emphasized the need for China to promote a just peace that respects Ukraine's territorial sovereignty.

Von der Leyen, who was only invited at the behest of the French leader, held her own press conference on Thursday where she condemned Moscow and threatened China against providing the Russians with materiel support.

“Arming the aggressor is a clear violation of international law — he should never be armed,” she said. “This would indeed significantly harm the relationship between the European Union and China.”

Additionally, von der Leyen brought up the issue of Taiwan in forceful remarks against Beijing and insist that they respect Ukraine’s view of territorial sovereignty — referring to the question of Crimea.

“Nobody should unilaterally change the status quo by force in this region,” she said, referring to Taiwan. “The threat of the use of force to change the status quo is unacceptable.”