When the leaders of France and the European Commission met Chinese President Xi Jinping for talks Monday at the Elysee Palace in Paris, they had a strong message for him: Beijing must reduce its support for Moscow.
As Russia makes gains in its invasion of Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron and commission chief Ursula von der Leyen told the Chinese leader that he needs to do more to curtail the transfer of dual-use materials to Moscow that are finding their way onto the battlefield.
“Given the existential nature of the threats stemming from this war for both Ukraine and Europe, this does affect EU-China relations,” said von der Leyen following a trilateral meeting with Xi, who is on his first state visit to Europe in five years.