Macron accused of rolling out red carpet for ‘dictator’ Xi
Emmanuel Macron was accused of rolling out the red carpet to a “dictator” who is financially and diplomatically supporting Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine as Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, kicked off a two-day visit to France.
The French president, joined by Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission chief, met Xi Jinping for talks at the Elysée Palace on Monday amid a looming trade war between Europe and China centred on electric cars and Cognac.
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In an article printed by Le Figaro on Sunday, Mr Xi said that “China did not start the Ukraine crisis, nor is it party to or a participant in it”.
He added: “China hopes that peace and stability will return to Europe at an early date. We stand ready to work with France and the whole international community to find a reasonable way out of the crisis.”
Marc Julienne, director of the Asia Centre at the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI), said: “The message sent by Xi is clear: opposition to Nato, a struggle for influence with the Americans in Europe and support for illiberal regimes.”
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> Read the article on The Telegraph's website.
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