French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday appealed to Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to help end the war in Ukraine and to tackle trade deficits as the two leaders met in Beijing, where they were also expected to talk about Taiwan.
China has been looking for support from France — one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council — in its dispute with Japan over Taiwan’s status.
Tensions escalated after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested last month that a conflict over Taiwan could pose a threat to Japan.
Photo: AFP
On the eve of the Macron-Xi meeting, Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) told his French counterpart, Jean-Noel Barrot, that as World War II victors, China and France must not allow Japan to “stir up troubles” over Taiwan or repeat historical mistakes.
Macron yesterday did not publicly address Taiwan. In the past few days, French officials have reiterated the need to respect the “one China” policy.
For the French president, making his fourth visit to China while in office, the three-day trip is an opportunity to shore up support for a ceasefire in Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II, as well as to attract more Chinese investment in France.
Speaking in the Great Hall of the People, where the meeting took place, Xi said he and Macron had agreed to push for more “balanced” economic ties, two-way investment and a “nondiscriminatory” environment for businesses in both countries.
Beijing has long sought to avoid EU tariffs on Chinese products, including steel and electric vehicles that Brussels says are sold at unfair prices due to state subsidies.
Xi also reiterated his support for an end to the hostilities in Ukraine, telling Macron that “China supports all efforts committed to peace and hopes that all parties will reach a fair, lasting and binding peace agreement that is acceptable to all parties.”
China — a major Russian trading partner — has said it takes a neutral stance on the war, refraining from condemning Moscow’s invasion.
“We must continue to work towards peace and stability in the world, and in Ukraine and other regions affected by war,” Macron told Xi, adding: “Our capacity to work together is decisive.”
“I hope that China will join our call and our efforts to achieve, as soon as possible, at least a ceasefire in the form of a moratorium on strikes targeting critical infrastructure,” he said.
Macron’s visit to Beijing follows a trip to Paris by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who urged Europe to stand by Kyiv as Washington pushes a plan to end the war.
China regularly calls for peace talks and respect for the territorial integrity of all countries, but has never condemned Russia for its 2022 invasion.
South Korea has adjusted its electronic arrival card system to no longer list Taiwan as a part of China, a move that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said would help facilitate exchanges between the two sides. South Korea previously listed “Taiwan” as “Taiwan (China)” in the drop-down menus of its online arrival card system, where people had to fill out where they came from and their next destination. The ministry had requested South Korea make a revision and said it would change South Korea’s name on Taiwan’s online immigration system from “Republic of Korea” to “Korea (South),” should the issue not be
Tainan, Taipei and New Taipei City recorded the highest fines nationwide for illegal accommodations in the first quarter of this year, with fines issued in the three cities each exceeding NT$7 million (US$220,639), Tourism Administration data showed. Among them, Taipei had the highest number of illegal short-term rental units, with 410. There were 3,280 legally registered hotels nationwide in the first quarter, down by 14 properties, or 0.43 percent, from a year earlier, likely indicating operators exiting the market, the agency said. However, the number of unregistered properties rose to 1,174, including 314 illegal hotels and 860 illegal short-term rental
Both sides of the Taiwan Strait share a political foundation based on the “1992 consensus” and opposition to Taiwanese independence, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) today said during her meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). Both sides of the Strait should plan and build institutionalized and sustainable mechanisms for dialogue and cooperation based on that foundation to make peaceful development across the Strait irreversible, she said. Peace is a shared moral value across the Strait, and both sides should move beyond political confrontation to seek institutionalized solutions to prevent war, she said. Mutually beneficial cross-strait relations are what the
ECONOMIC COERCION: Such actions are often inconsistently applied, sometimes resumed, and sometimes just halted, the Presidential Office spokeswoman said The government backs healthy and orderly cross-strait exchanges, but such arrangements should not be made with political conditions attached and never be used as leverage for political maneuvering or partisan agendas, Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said yesterday. Kuo made the remarks after China earlier in the day announced 10 new “incentive measures” for Taiwan, following a landmark meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) in Beijing on Friday. The measures, unveiled by China’s Xinhua news agency, include plans to resume individual travel by residents of Shanghai and China’s Fujian
RSS