According to the Élysée, the objective of Macron’s visit is to maintain a constant and demanding dialogue with China, with a focus on three areas: strategic issues and international crises; cooperation to address global challenges including climate change; and economic relations.

“The direct conversation between Europe and China, especially between France and China, is important for formulating international rules to tackle with global issues arising with technological advancement, climate change, and disappearance of biodiversity in an increasingly multipolar world,” said Justin Vaïsse, founder and director general of the Paris Peace Forum, during an event hosted by the Center for China and Globalization on April 4 in Beijing.

Europe has responsibility to strike balance between China and US

Against the backdrop of the intense relations between China and US, Vaïsse analyzed the visit of Macron and von der Leyen to China will pave the way for forming a “triangular relationship” between China, EU, and the US where frank conversations can be held among the three parties to manage competition and “reach a higher level of convergence on critical issues such as the Ukraine crisis”.

“As a historian of US foreign policy, I believe it will be more stable if it’s a triangular relationship, rather than a face-to-face discussion with the US, since there is a tendency in Washington to have strong swings of mood,” Vaïsse elaborated.

The US defines its relations with China as “strategic competition”. Vaïsse worried that the field of cooperation will be contaminated by such competition. “It’s even worse because subjects of cooperation can sometimes be taken hostage. We all know the recent tendencies to weaponize trade sanctions, migration flows, and interference in digital domain.”

Vaïsse noted, “the US and China are responsible for regulating and moderating the rivalry in the face of global dangers such as climate change, while Europe has a responsibility to push the two sides towards the right direction, and contribute initiatives and solutions for the global public good.”

He believes the EU is heading in the right direction by emphasizing “de-risking” instead of decoupling from China. “That is to say, we need to be able to balance a dose of competition on markets and on geopolitics with a healthy dose of cooperation. We don’t want to cut our economy from the Chinese one, because that would create two blocks, which ultimately could increase the risks of war.”

China-EU partnership strengthened in addressing global challenges

Vaïsse stressed that China and EU have made conspicuous efforts to promote international collaboration in addressing global challenges.

“China played a leading role in securing the historic Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework at the end of 2022. And in March, China was also an active player in the global deal to protect biodiversity in the high seas,” Vaïsse said.

He furthered that France is set to host an international conference on a new global financial pact on June 22 to 23, 2023, aiming to provide “sufficient financial resources for the Global south, not only for their development and poverty alleviation, but also for their climate transition”, and “China is expected to attend among other global stakeholders”.

What’s more, Vaïsse told GDToday that the Paris Peace Forum plans to launch an initiative dedicated to setting common standards for global production and distribution of critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt, and rare earth. “One of the reasons why I came to China on the occasion of Macron and von der Leyen’s visit is to make sure China will participate in the initiative.”

“I also hope Macron and von der Leyen’s trip can see progress on how we can converge on the issue of Ukraine crisis,” Vaïsse said.

He spoke highly of the principles listed in China’s Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis, especially the calls for respecting the sovereignty of all countries and protecting civilians and prisoners of war.

“I expect to see China to use its relations with Russia, Ukraine, and other relevant countries to push for more concrete steps and resolve the disagreement,” Vaïsse noted.

“It was a visionary thing that then President Charles de Gaulle did to establish diplomatic relations with China in 1964, which was followed by the US a couple of years afterward. Something very strong between France and China has been established in that process. It’s really important not just to commemorate that moment but also to make it lively through continuous bilateral cooperation,” Vaïsse said.

“And that’s why the French and Chinese leaders will spend lots of time in discussing issues where they have consensus and disagreement during the visit, including the Ukraine crisis and the reform of the global financial architecture. I believe these will be unique France-China discussions that you don’t really see anywhere else,” Vaïsse added.