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Position of China on Ukraine crisis will not affect France-China ties; two countries share common interest in ending war, says French envoy

Global Times

By Chen Qingqing Published: Apr 14, 2023 02:56 AM

On whether China's position on the Ukraine crisis would affect the France-China relations, French Ambassador to China Bertrand Lortholary said on Thursday that there are no preconditions raised by either China or France, and the bilateral ties should not be affected by China's position on the Ukraine crisis. The two countries shared a common interest in helping to end the war.

During a group interview at the French Embassy in Beijing, Lortholary first summarized the fruitful results of the recent visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to China. On the Ukraine crisis, the French side believed that China could certainly play an important role in helping find a road to peace. "We are very pleased to see that happen," Lortholary said, noting that China-Russia relations enable frequent exchanges between the two countries.

Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European Commission, recently said that the Ukraine war will define EU-China relations. Those remarks were also considered as a sign of connecting China's position on the crisis with the development of EU-China ties.

The French envoy said that he does not agree that France-China relations would be affected by China's stance on the Ukraine crisis. No one imposes preconditions on China or France. But the two countries share a common interest in ending the war and share some common views of upholding the UN Charter, respecting each country's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and preventing the menace of nuclear war, Lortholary said.

France and China develop their bilateral relations based on mutual understanding rather than setting conditions, he noted.

Macron defended his remarks on the Taiwan question, reiterating that being a US ally did not mean being a "vassal" as the French leader called for Europe to act more independently from the US over the Taiwan question.

On the Taiwan question, the French envoy affirmed that France upholds the one-China policy, which has never changed. "Our most important interest is to avoid conflict and war, and our policy aims to maintain stability, so we do not think about different scenarios or hypothesis about war or conflict," he said.

After Macron and von der Leyen recently finished their trips to China, more European leaders including Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock are coming to visit the country, which is also seen as a signal of resumption of high-level exchanges between China and Europe.

"President Macron hoped a few years ago that the dialogue between the EU as an unity with China could be enforced," Lortholary said, noting that it's also clear that the EU has a strong willingness to make their common voice heard by China.