During a visit to Beijing on Thursday, President Emmanuel Macron of France once again pressed China’s leader, Xi Jinping, to do more to help end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
And once again, Mr. Xi — who has been lobbied on that subject by Western leaders since the war began — gave little indication that he was interested in complying.
Mr. Macron made his appeal during a three-day visit to China, his fourth trip to the country during his presidency. Mr. Xi welcomed him with a red carpet and an honor guard.
Both leaders entered the meeting eager to push for support on geopolitical goals. As the war in Ukraine nears the four-year mark and President Trump tries to spearhead peace talks, European leaders are rushing to ensure that any settlement does not undermine Ukrainian sovereignty. They have long argued that China, with its close ties to Russia, could exert more pressure on Moscow to make concessions.
Just days before traveling to Beijing, Mr. Macron hosted Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, in Paris. During that meeting, Mr. Macron reiterated Europe’s commitment to Ukraine and stressed that only Kyiv could make decisions about whether to cede any territory.
China, meanwhile, is pushing countries including France to take its side in a fiery diplomatic dispute with Japan. The conflict stems from remarks by Japan’s new prime minister that suggested Japan could deploy its military if China were to attack Taiwan.
But in remarks after a closed meeting, both Mr. Xi and Mr. Macron suggested that significant distance remained between their attitudes.
At a news conference after the meeting, Mr. Xi said of Russia’s war in Ukraine, “China will continue to play a constructive role in the political settlement of the crisis, while resolutely opposing any irresponsible actions of shifting blame or smearing.”
Mr. Macron said that the two leaders had discussed Russia’s invasion “at length.” He said he hoped that Mr. Xi would join efforts to achieve, “at the very least,” a halt in attacks on critical infrastructure, including energy infrastructure for civilians. That was especially urgent as winter approached, he said.
He added, “I believe we both have the measure of the gravity of the situation.”
But he also later said: “Nothing is simple. The current imbalances, such as geopolitical crises, could ultimately put our countries at risk of taking separate paths.”
The lack of progress on Ukraine was not a surprise, said Jean-Pierre Cabestan, associate senior researcher at the Asia Center in Paris. Mr. Macron is in a relatively weak negotiating position, given the fragile economy and political turmoil at home, Mr. Cabestan said. Threats by China to impose tariffs on French agricultural products have raised alarms in Paris.
“He goes to China with a rather weak hand and a number of demands which are clearly aimed at improving the French economy,” Mr. Cabestan said.
There was also little sign that Chinese officials had secured the support from France that they had been seeking on Taiwan, the self-governing democracy that China claims. On Wednesday, the Chinese and French foreign ministers, Wang Yi and Jean-Noël Barrot, met over dinner, where, according to the Chinese foreign ministry’s official summary, Mr. Wang explained what he called the “serious harm” of Japan’s stance on Taiwan. “He expressed hope and belief that France will continue to understand and support China’s legitimate position,” the summary said.
The French official summary of that meeting, by contrast, did not specifically mention Taiwan or Japan, referring only to Ukraine and “international crises” generally.
Neither Mr. Xi nor Mr. Macron mentioned Taiwan or Japan during their public remarks on Thursday.
But Mr. Xi did repeatedly call for France to make its own decisions in the face of a volatile international environment. China has tried to drive a wedge between the United States and its allies in recent years, amid worries that they could form a bloc to try to contain China.
Mr. Xi said that previous leaders of their respective countries “broke through the shadow of the Cold War” to establish ties. “Currently, the world is undergoing rapid changes, and humanity once again stands at a crossroads,” he said.
Mr. Macron and Mr. Xi seemed to find more common ground on economic issues, which have also become a point of conflict as China restricts the export of rare-earth elements and Europe levies tariffs to try to slow an influx of inexpensive Chinese goods that threaten European businesses. In response, China has threatened tariffs on French pork and dairy.
On Thursday, representatives of both governments signed agreements relating to nuclear energy, agriculture and food, education and the environment.
Mr. Xi said that China was willing to import more “high-quality French products” and that he hoped that France would provide a “fair environment” for Chinese companies.
Mr. Macron may be able to claim at least one other victory. Two giant pandas that China lent to France recently returned to China. But Mr. Xi said that the countries had agreed to a new round of cooperation on panda protection — suggesting that more pandas would be in France soon.
Siyi Zhao and Pei-Lin Wu contributed research.
Vivian Wang is a China correspondent based in Beijing, where she writes about how the country’s global rise and ambitions are shaping the daily lives of its people.
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