Xi Jinping’s State Visit to France
Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrived in France on Sunday (May 5) on a state visit where President Emmanuel Macron is expected to push his Chinese counterpart for a stronger stance against Russia amid the war in Ukraine.
Background: Sino-French Relations
- Xi’s choice of France as the sole major European power to visit shows signs of relative warmth in Sino-French relations since Macron visited China in April 2023.
- Macron was acknowledged as an EU powerbroker during his visit to China.
Protests and Historical Context
Ahead of Xi’s arrival in Paris, Tibetan protestors took to the streets against China’s illegal occupation of Tibet. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) annexed Tibet in 1951 after the Battle of Chamdo, following China’s claim of sovereignty over the region on January 1, 1950.
The Chinese Communist Party calls these events the “Peaceful Liberation of Tibet,” while the Tibetan diaspora and Central Tibetan Administration refer to it as the “Chinese invasion of Tibet.”
Key Points of Xi’s Visit
- Xi’s arrival in Paris marks 60 years of diplomatic relations between France and China.
- Xi will also visit Serbia and Hungary during this trip.
- Accompanied by his wife Peng Liyuan, Xi was welcomed under umbrellas at a drizzly Paris Orly airport by Prime Minister Gabriel Attal.
- Xi is scheduled to hold talks in Paris on Monday (May 6) with EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen.
- On Tuesday, Macron will take Xi to the Pyrenees mountains for less public talks.
Xi’s Stance on the Ukraine Conflict
In an op-ed for Le Figaro daily, Xi expressed his desire to work with the international community to find solutions to the conflict sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He emphasized that Beijing is neither a party nor a participant in the conflict.
“We hope that peace and stability will return quickly to Europe and intend to work with France and the entire international community to find good paths to resolve the crisis,” Xi wrote.
