At a reception at the Élysée to mark the Lunar New Year, the French President also asked China to clarify its position on the war in Ukraine.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday assured that he would continue to “talk to Russia” despite the criticism surrounding it, but also urged China to speak out against the “imperialist war” in Ukraine.
“All our countries have a position to uphold, that of respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity. […] whatever the friendships, the alliances, we can cultivate,” he said during a reception at the Élysée to mark the Lunar New Year.
“Some people in other times could accuse me of speaking to Russia and I will continue to speak to Russia,” added Emmanuel Macron, one of the few Western leaders to have stayed in touch with the Kremlin’s master. Vladimir Putin after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
Emmanuel Macron challenges China
“But who can defend the possibility of a free and stable international order if we turn a blind eye to imperialist war?” the President began, referring in particular to China.
“We are all responsible for that order, and we must enforce it simply by being clear about our principles,” he continued to an audience of business, artistic and academic figures associated with Asia.
During the G20 summit in Indonesia in November, he called on his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to “unite forces” against the war in Ukraine and emphasized that the “stability” of the world was also in “interests”. China.
Moscow and Beijing are presenting themselves as a geopolitical counterweight to the US and its allies. Russia is also trying to strengthen its ties with China in the face of Western sanctions imposed after its offensive against Ukraine.