Macron calls on Xi to reason with Russia for Ukraine peace

However, a "huge win" from the European perspective was Xi saying he would eventually give Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a call "when the time is right", said Carisa Nietsche, associate fellow at the Transatlantic Security Program, Center for a New American Security.

The EU leaders' visit to China comes after years of souring relations with Beijing over issues including accusations of rights abuse in Xinjiang, a stalled investment pact and China's reluctance to condemn Russia over its Ukraine invasion.

But addressing the press after his arrival on Wednesday, Macron said Europe must resist reducing trade and diplomatic ties with China and reject what some have cast as an "inescapable spiral" of tension between China and the West.

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