Watch as Emmanuel Macron arrives at Beijing airport for a state visit to China.
The French president touches down on Wednesday 5 April alongside European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen for a three-day trip that will see them meet with Chinese president Xi Jinping.
Discussions about Russia’s war in Ukraine are expected to be high on the agenda.
“China is the only country in the world capable of having an immediate and radical impact on the conflict, in one direction or the other,” an official from Mr Macron’s office said ahead of the visit.
Beijing claims to hold a neutral stance on the war, but has previously stressed its “no-limits friendship” with Russia.
Mr Xi last month met with Vladimir Putin in Moscow and a top French official acknowledged that Paris isn’t expecting to see a major shift in China’s position.
Click here to sign up for our newsletters.
