Macron also asked Xi to press Russia to comply with international rules on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he will station tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine’s neighbour Belarus, a move seen as a dangerous escalation in the bloody year-long conflict.
Xi said all countries should respect commitments on not using nuclear weapons and “nuclear war shouldn’t be waged”, without mentioning Russia. He called on the international community to “refrain from any action that would lead to further deterioration of the crisis or even to it getting out of control”.
Moscow poured cold water on prospects for a Chinese mediation of the conflict, insisting on Thursday it had “no choice” but to press on with its offensive.
“Undoubtedly, China has a very effective and commanding potential for mediation,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
“But the situation with Ukraine is complex, so far there are no prospects for a political settlement,” he said.
The EU leaders’ visit to China comes after years of souring relations with Beijing over issues including accusations of rights abuse in Xinjiang, a stalled investment pact and China’s reluctance to condemn Russia over its Ukraine invasion.
But addressing the press after his arrival on Wednesday, Macron said Europe must resist reducing trade and diplomatic ties with China and reject what some have cast as an “inescapable spiral” of tension between China and the West.
Von der Leyen, on her first trip to China since taking office as European Commission president in 2019, was also set to hold trilateral talks with Macron and Xi on Thursday evening.
Macron also met with Premier Li Qiang before meeting Xi for an elaborate ceremony outside the Great Hall, where the two leaders witnessed a 21-gun salute and strode side-by-side along a red carpet as a brass band played their national anthems.
In comments reported by state media CCTV, Xi said China and France have the ability and responsibility to transcend “differences” and “restraints” as the world undergoes profound historical changes. China was willing to work with the European Union (EU) to restart “exchanges” on all levels, Xi said.