France wants China to send ‘clear messages’ to Russia over Ukraine war

China should reason with Russia about the war in Ukraine, said French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné in Beijing.

The Chinese government “plays a key role in ... the respect of international law, including on Ukraine's sovereignty, and therefore we are clearly expecting that China will send very clear messages to Russia,” Séjourné said during a press conference in the Chinese capital speaking alongside his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.

Séjourné's comments come as Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris in early May.

China presents itself as neutral on the Ukraine war and hasn't formally condemned Russia for the invasion. Instead, Beijing has deepened ties with Moscow — even deciding to ditch the United States dollar for bilateral trade.

Last month, China's special envoy for Eurasian affairs warned about the war escalating and said both Ukraine and Russia “agree that negotiations, rather than guns, will ultimately end this war.” China wants Europe to let Russia sit at the table for future peace talks — or Beijing will boycott such discussions.

Séjourné also said France doesn't want to “decouple” from the Chinese economy, but rather engage in an “economic rebalancing” to make sure the trade ties are “healthy and sustainable.”

The European Union has been developing rules to de-risk Europe's economy and make sure it's not overly reliant on China.