Xi spoke via video link Tuesday with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, suggesting China would be willing to work with the two countries to mediate a solution. The summit follows Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s calls with top regional diplomats including Josep Borrell of the European Union and Peter Szijjarto of Hungary.
“It is a critical moment for Europe-China relations,” said Noah Barkin, an expert on Europe-China relations at U.S. research firm Rhodium Group. “If Beijing stays on the sidelines and continues to blame the U.S. and NATO for provoking Putin, then this could do lasting damage to its relationship with Europe. The democracies-versus-authoritarians narrative will take hold. China and Russia will be seen as a common threat.
Xi continued that approach in his summit with Macron and Scholz, saying the “Chinese side is deeply grieved by the outbreak of war again” in Europe, according to a Foreign Ministry summary. “The pressing task at the moment is to prevent the tense situation from escalating or even running out of control,” Xi said, citing concerns about energy, supply chains and the post-pandemic recovery.“Europe is now more reliant on the U.S.
China’s strong ties with Ukraine — including its status as the country’s second-largest trading partner behind the EU in 2020 — have led some in Europe including Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba to urge Beijing to mediate. Moscow’s dependence on Beijing to offset sanctions appears to give Xi a bit of leverage: Putin opened talks with Zelenskiy shortly after the Chinese and Russian leaders spoke, though they went nowhere.
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