French President Emmanuel Macron said Europe must resist reducing trade and diplomatic ties with China as he began a state visit on Wednesday, seeking to refute any sense there was an "inescapable spiral" of tension between Beijing and the West.
Macron said maintaining dialogue with China was key given its close relations with Russia, which is waging a war in Ukraine. Asked about Western concerns Beijing might be considering sending arms to Moscow, Macron said any nation that did so would be complicit in a breach of international law.
