European countries seek to connect with Beijing, and PresidentMacron says he can rely on China to reason with Russia

The “Game-Changing Effect” of Beijing on the War in Ukraine can be addressed with a trilateral Meeting between Macron and von der Leyen and Xi

A source at the Elysee Palace said that in keeping with the precedent of joint diplomacy with China between France and the European Union, Macron is expected to meet with both Ursula von der Leyen and Xi for a trilateral meeting later Thursday.

Europe and China are seeking to find ways to reconnect, following three years of China’s stringent pandemic travel controls and deteriorating ties over a range of issues including China’s human rights record to its stance on the war in Ukraine.

For Beijing, the double-header diplomacy could offer a chance to mend that image, as it aims to reconnect with the world and revive its domestic economy following three years of damaging Covid restrictions.

An Elysee source on Friday said that Beijing was the only country that could have a “game-changing effect” on the war because of its ties with Russia.

China tried to frame itself as a peace broker in the conflict. In the past year it has deepened its economic and diplomatic ties with the Kremlin and refused to condemn the Russian invasion.

Von der Leyen pledged after speaking to the Ukrainian President that Ukraine would be an important topic of meetings.

The visit that played up a focus on driving peace in Ukraine and navigating an economic relationship with China drew skepticism from some quarters.

“We should remember that attempts to contain Russia by offering economic partnership failed. Putin was not persuaded by our flexibility. Similar tactics would also embolden China. Let’s not make the same mistake twice,” Landsbergis wrote, without directly mentioning the trip in his thread.

The President will go to China, not to question the red lines of China, but to find a place that can help the Ukrainian people, and then create a solution to this war.

It is not known if such a goal can be achieved with Beijing, which is the stance laid out in the proposal released earlier this year.

Trump and Macron on a trip to China: Implications for the bilateral relations between the EU and the world and the “war” in Ukraine

Von der Leyen, along with other European leaders, were skeptical about the “political solution” to the war because they thought it favored Russia.

Xi and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz jointly condemned the threat or use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine during Scholz’s November visit to Beijing – a move analysts saw more as a statement already in line with Chinese policy than a diplomatic win for Germany.

The meeting between the president of Taiwan and the speaker of the US House will be held Wednesday in California, and will be watched closely by China.

It is unlikely that the show of force unleashed around the self-governing island during Nancy Pelosi’s visit will sit well with Macron and von der Leyen.

Also in the mix are the extensive business interests extending between the two sides – and the challenges of navigating these as Europe has adopted a more cautious view on China – which the EU now classifies as a “systemic rival.”

Macron will be joined on the trip by the heads of some of France’s biggest companies, including aircraft manufacturer Airbus

            (EADSF), BNP Paribas, and L’Oreal, with some expected to finalize or even sign new deals during the trip.

The visit – amid a tense international landscape and after three years without state visits between the two sides – would enable France to “find new parameters for the bilateral relationship,” an Elysee source told reporters Friday.

Von der Leyen will be meeting with the EU Chamber of Commerce in China, according to a person familiar with her trip.

“Our relations are not black or white, and our response cannot be either,” she said in Brussels last week, pointing to Europe’s need to “focus on de-risk, not de-couple” from China.

The Chinese president said that the two nations can overcome differences and that they have a responsibility to work on climate change and African development.

In Beijing, Macron told members of the French community that China could play a major role in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine because of its relationship with Russia. He was against allowing Russia to have an exclusive dialogue with China about the path towards peace in Ukraine.

A recent example of China as mediator was on show in Beijing on Thursday, as Saudi Arabia’s and Iran’s Foreign Ministers signed a joint statement related to the resumption of their bilateral relations after seven years, following a landmark agreement mediated by China last month.