The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, have issued a joint statement this Friday in which they are committed to resolving the conflict in Ukraine based on International Law and following the principles contained in the Charter of the United Nations. “Both countries stress the importance of scrupulously observing Humanitarian Law by all parties to the conflict,” states the document shared by the Elysee, which also stresses preventing armed attacks on nuclear power plants and guaranteeing security at the Zaporizhia power plant.

Similarly, Paris and Beijing have agreed on the importance of “promote global security and stability”, with particular attention to preventing nuclear war and avoiding an arms race. They have also agreed to increase coordination and cooperation to “safeguard” the effectiveness of arms controls and treaties for the non-proliferation of weapons, as well as move towards nuclear disarmament and the “peaceful use of nuclear energy”, according to of the document shared by the Élysée.

The text, however, does not mention Russia at any time and a ‘road map’ for the conflict in Ukraine is not established beyond that it must adhere to International Law, although it is true that China has promised to “support any effort to restore peace in Ukraine”. Apart from the joint statement, the Chinese president has argued, during an informal meeting with his French counterpart in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, that “a prolonged crisis does not serve anyone’s interests,” the news agency reported. Xinhua news.

In this sense, it is necessary “that all parties create the conditions for the ceasefire” and has assured that Beijing “supports Europe in carrying out its role” for a “political solution” to end the war. Likewise, he has shown his willingness to “keep in touch with France” for this purpose while pointing out that the causes of the conflict are “complex.” For his part, Macron has praised the role of Beijing in the path towards peace in the region, according to the aforementioned agency.

The French diplomacy noted the day before, on the occasion of the meeting between Macron and Xi, that the Chinese president had expressed his willingness to contact the Ukrainian president, Volodimir Zelenski. However, although the president of the European Commission herself, Ursula von der Leyen, thanked the Chinese president for this position, neither the Chinese reports nor the joint declaration of Paris and Beijing include such a possibility.

Thus, Macron and Xi have agreed to “strengthen the political dialogue and promote mutual political trust” with “annual meetings” between both heads of state and strengthening the exchange of positions at an economic and financial level, as well as in humanitarian matters.