French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen will on Thursday meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping, a close ally of Vladimir Putin. Macron and von der Leyen are expected to maintain pressure on Beijing for assistance in bringing the 14-month war to an end.
The French president and the EU Commission chief will be welcomed by Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People, the heart of Chinese political power.
Western pressure is mounting on China to take a more active role in the peace process in Ukraine. Although Beijing is officially neutral, Xi has never condemned the Russian invasion.
Xi Jinping recently visited Moscow to reaffirm his alliance with Putin, but has not even spoken on the phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Macron, who arrived in Beijing on Wednesday afternoon for a three-day state visit, said he wants to "be a voice that unites Europe" over Ukraine, and that coming to China with von der Leyen serves to "underline the consistency of this approach".
On Wednesday, Macron said Beijing had a "major role" to play in finding a path to peace, welcoming China's "willingness to commit to a resolution" of the conflict.
Von der Leyen took a sterner tack last week in Brussels, saying: "How China continues to interact with Putin's war will be a determining factor for EU-China relations going forward."
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday that China was sustaining Russia's economy in the face of Western sanctions.
Call for dialogue and a common vision
In a Thursday morning meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the Great Hall of the People, Macron stressed the importance of dialogue between China and France "in these troubled times".
"The ability to share a common analysis and build a common path is essential," he said.
Macron is set to meet the head of China's top legislative body, Zhao Leji, before a one-on-one meeting with Xi in the afternoon.
The pair will give statements to the press, followed by a three-way meeting with von der Leyen and, finally, a state dinner.
The visit comes against a background of mounting Chinese pressure on Taiwan, with the island's President Tsai Ing-wen meeting in California with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Macron told journalists Wednesday he did not think his Chinese counterparts had "a desire to overreact" to the meeting.
Tsai hailed the talks, saying they showed the self-ruled island was "not isolated" on the international stage.
China deployed an aircraft carrier near Taiwan hours before the talks went ahead.
Three Chinese warships were spotted in the strait separating the island from mainland China, according to Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence.
