What’s new: Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed on the urgent need to restore peace in Ukraine through negotiations in a phone conversation Tuesday, according to China’s official Xinhua News Agency.
The two leaders held the phone call to discuss bilateral relations and exchanged opinions on the war between Russia and Ukraine, Xinhua said.
They both “reiterated their commitment to respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and agreed on the urgency of reaching a ceasefire,” according to a readout issued by the Elysee Palace in Paris.
More to know: Xi told Macron that “China has been promoting peace talks in its own way and supports European countries in taking European security into their own hands,” according to Xinhua.
“We must be particularly vigilant against the formation of group confrontation, which will pose a bigger and more lasting threat to global security and stability,” Xi said.
Macron said there are many points of consensus between the two countries on the Ukraine issue and France is willing to tighten cooperation with China on both bilateral and multilateral levels.
The leaders also agreed to deepen cooperation in areas including climate change, agriculture, aerospace, nuclear energy and biodiversity.
Contact reporter Han Wei (weihan@caixin.com) and editor Bob Simison (bob.simison@caixin.com)
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