France’s top diplomat yesterday said that Paris expects China to send “clear messages” to its close partner Russia over its war in Ukraine, after meetings with his counterpart in Beijing.
France and China have sought to strengthen ties in recent years and, during meetings in Paris in February, Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) told French President Emmanuel Macron that Beijing appreciated his country’s “independent” stance.
However, Paris has also sought to press Beijing on its close ties with Moscow, which have only grown closer since the invasion of Ukraine.
Photo: AP
While China says it is a neutral party in the Ukraine conflict, it has been criticized for refusing to condemn Moscow for its offensive.
Paris has, in contrast, become one of Kyiv’s firmest backers, with Macron in February even refusing to rule out putting troops on the ground in Ukraine.
In an interview with French newspaper La Tribune’s Sunday edition, French Minister of the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu said that the French military is replacing its old VAB armored personnel carriers.
“This old equipment, still operational, is going directly to Ukraine in large quantities. We’re talking about hundreds [of vehicles] in 2024 and early 2025,” Lecornu said.
Lecornu also said France would provide Ukraine with more anti-aircraft missiles.
French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Stephane Sejourne yesterday said Paris wanted “China to send very clear messages to Russia” over its war in Ukraine.
“We are convinced that there will be no lasting peace if it is not negotiated with the Ukrainians,” he told a news conference in Beijing, speaking alongside Wang.
“There will be no security for Europeans if there is no peace in accordance with international law,” he said. “It is an essential issue for us, which is why France is determined to maintain a close dialogue with China.”
And Beijing could play a “key role” in ensuring respect for international law is maintained, he said.
Sejourne’s visit is the second to China by a French foreign minister in less than six months, following a trip by his predecessor, Catherine Colonna, in November last year.
The top diplomat’s visit this week comes as part of events marking the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between France and China.
France’s efforts to improve ties with Beijing come as the EU seeks to shield itself from excessive reliance on China.
That “derisking” has emerged in the past few months as a core pillar of the European bloc’s economic policy toward China, becoming necessary after the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The term contrasts with the more drastic approach known as “decoupling” — pursued by some policymakers in the US who aim to isolate China or cut all commercial ties with the country.
Sejourne said decoupling was not on the cards.
However, he said, an “economic rebalancing” was needed to ensure trade is “healthy and sustainable.”
Wang said he “appreciates” Sejourne’s rejection of decoupling.
“It is not possible to decouple from China, and decoupling from China is the biggest risk,” Wang said. “I believe that it has been proved, and will continue to prove, that China is an opportunity and not a risk for Europe. Both sides are partners and not rivals.
ANGER: A video shared online showed residents in a neighborhood confronting the national security minister, attempting to drag her toward floodwaters Argentina’s port city of Bahia Blanca has been “destroyed” after being pummeled by a year’s worth of rain in a matter of hours, killing 13 and driving hundreds from their homes, authorities said on Saturday. Two young girls — reportedly aged four and one — were missing after possibly being swept away by floodwaters in the wake of Friday’s storm. The deluge left hospital rooms underwater, turned neighborhoods into islands and cut electricity to swaths of the city. Argentine Minister of National Security Patricia Bullrich said Bahia Blanca was “destroyed.” The death toll rose to 13 on Saturday, up from 10 on Friday, authorities
OPTIMISTIC: A Philippine Air Force spokeswoman said the military believed the crew were safe and were hopeful that they and the jet would be recovered A Philippine Air Force FA-50 jet and its two-person crew are missing after flying in support of ground forces fighting communist rebels in the southern Mindanao region, a military official said yesterday. Philippine Air Force spokeswoman Colonel Consuelo Castillo said the jet was flying “over land” on the way to its target area when it went missing during a “tactical night operation in support of our ground troops.” While she declined to provide mission specifics, Philippine Army spokesman Colonel Louie Dema-ala confirmed that the missing FA-50 was part of a squadron sent “to provide air support” to troops fighting communist rebels in
Two daughters of an Argentine mountaineer who died on an icy peak 40 years ago have retrieved his backpack from the spot — finding camera film inside that allowed them a glimpse of some of his final experiences. Guillermo Vieiro was 44 when he died in 1985 — as did his climbing partner — while descending Argentina’s Tupungato lava dome, one of the highest peaks in the Americas. Last year, his backpack was spotted on a slope by mountaineer Gabriela Cavallaro, who examined it and contacted Vieiro’s daughters Guadalupe, 40, and Azul, 44. Last month, the three set out with four other guides
Local officials from Russia’s ruling party have caused controversy by presenting mothers of soldiers killed in Ukraine with gifts of meat grinders, an appliance widely used to describe Russia’s brutal tactics on the front line. The United Russia party in the northern Murmansk region posted photographs on social media showing officials smiling as they visited bereaved mothers with gifts of flowers and boxed meat grinders for International Women’s Day on Saturday, which is widely celebrated in Russia. The post included a message thanking the “dear moms” for their “strength of spirit and the love you put into bringing up your sons.” It
RSS