French President Emmanuel Macron on 4 December urged Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing to use China’s influence over Russia to help end the war in Ukraine, highlighting both countries’ “decisive” role in global stability, according to France24. The French leader’s visit, which also focuses on trade tensions and Europe’s economic dependence on China, comes after talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about achieving a “fair” end to the war.
This diplomatic push matters because it turns China’s vague peace rhetoric into a measurable test: whether Beijing will translate its calls for negotiations into real pressure on Moscow, or continue a strategy that sustains Russia’s war effort while presenting itself as neutral.
What Macron demanded from Beijing
Macron told Xi that their “capacity to work together is decisive” and urged China to assume “all the responsibilities that come with its status as a permanent member of the Security Council.” He framed the Ukraine war as a direct threat not only to European security but to the global rule-based order.
The visit follows his meeting with Zelenskyy in Paris, after which the Ukrainian president wrote that they “share the view that the war must be brought to a fair end.” Macron’s three-day trip will conclude with a stop in Chengdu, where panda diplomacy serves as a softer backdrop to high-stakes talks on war and trade.
Key elements of Macron’s agenda in China:
- Urge Beijing to help curb Russian aggression against Ukraine
- Address the EU’s $357 billion trade deficit with China
- Warn against providing material or technological support that prolongs the war
- Push for reduced European dependence on Chinese technology and manufacturing
How China answered—and what it reveals
Xi called for a “political settlement” and said all parties should work toward a “balanced, effective and sustainable” security architecture in Europe, but he avoided criticizing Russia or clearly backing Ukraine’s territorial integrity, according to France24.
Beijing repeated familiar talking points about sovereignty and dialogue while staying silent on Moscow’s responsibility as the aggressor.
That carefully calibrated ambiguity mirrors China’s broader role in the war. While presenting itself as a mediator, Beijing has allowed key dual-use technologies and satellite support to bolster Russia’s military capabilities, even as it restricts flows of critical components to Ukraine’s drone industry. The result is a lopsided “neutrality” that helps Moscow sustain its campaign at a lower political cost.
Trade and war on the table
Macron is pushing on two fronts: the war and Europe's economic dependence on China. "It is necessary for China to consume more and export less... and for Europeans to save less and produce more," an Élysée adviser told France24. The French president has warned that the EU must not become a "vassal" to US and Chinese tech companies.
On Ukraine, the gap between Beijing's words and actions remains wide. China regularly calls for peace talks and respect for territorial integrity—but has never condemned Russia's invasion. Western governments accuse Beijing of providing crucial economic support and military components to Russia's defense industry.
That accusation has teeth. In July, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas that Beijing could not afford a Russian defeat. The same month, NATO labeled China a "decisive enabler" of Russia's war.
