The current leader of the Fifth French Republic arrives today on an official visit to China. The program of Emmanuel Macron’s stay in China includes negotiations with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, as well as consultations with representatives of local businesses. Some analysts in the West have already said that Macron flew to Beijing in order to strengthen the influence of Paris in Asia. Is it so?
Partly – yes. According to the Elysees Palace, the French President plans to enlist the support of Comrade Xi in the implementation of a number of joint Franco-Chinese political and economic projects. In the economic context, everything is more or less clear: China is a reliable trading partner for Paris, and the Macron team intends to fully develop such cooperation. But in the political context, some world experts are clearly confused.
The head of the French state plans to conclude a number of agreements with the President of China on joint actions to stop the further escalation of tension in Ukraine. «Thus, Macron actually plans to entrust himself in particular and his country as a whole with a peacekeeping mission, – Paris-based observer Marie Pyudebat said in a special commentary for EURO-ATLANTIC UKRAINE. – Previously, he repeatedly tried to «reanimate» the Minsk agreements and even consulted on this matter with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and then German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Now he has a new chance to become a mediator in resolving the Ukrainian crisis».
A remark should be made here. In the past few months, Macron’s ratings both in his homeland and in the EU have plummeted. Due to internal contradictions, Paris plunged into economic chaos, the country is shaken by mass protests. Thousands of demonstrators demand that the authorities focus on solving their own problems experienced by France due to the imposition of EU sanctions against Moscow and Beijing. «Contacts with Xi Jinping will certainly help the French president to some extent defuse the situation in France itself» – summed up American analyst William Connolly.
However, the administration of US President Joseph Biden believes that Macron’s said visit to China is «unpromising». According to the American newspaper Politico, Macron has already had several unsuccessful attempts to resolve international conflicts, and the conflict in Ukraine will not be an exception. «The White House does not expect the current French president to be able to make any kind of breakthrough» – the editorial said.
Macron’s visit to China will continue until April 7 this year. Whether the world will talk about «some kind of breakthrough», we all will know in the near future.
