Macron meets Xi Jinping in Beijing

The French President has arrived in Beijing on a three-day visit.

Macron’s three-day trip to China aims to hold China to a shared responsibility for peace and stability.

During the meeting, Macron conveyed to the Chinese leader Europe's position on Russia's war against Ukraine and also called on China to help establish peace talks. 

According to Macron, the need to build sustainable, long-term peace in Europe depends on a diplomatic "much more demanding conversation" with Russia.

"I know I can count on you to 'bring Russia to its senses' regarding its war in Ukraine," the French president told the Chinese leader.

For his part, Xi Jinping opposed the use of nuclear weapons and called on Ukraine and Russia to resume peace talks and find a political solution to the conflict.

Following the meeting between Macron and Xi Jinping, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that "the modern world is undergoing a profound historical change" and that China and France "firmly stand for a multipolar world and greater democracy in international relations".

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also arrived in China.