Written by John Irish and Elizabeth Pineau
PARIS (Reuters) – Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday called for a global truce during the Paris Olympics this summer after the French president and the head of the European Commission urged him to use his influence over Russia to end its war in Ukraine.
President Emmanuel Macron is hosting the Chinese leader on his first visit to Europe in five years and has held talks with him and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Paris as they seek to present a united front on issues ranging from trade to Ukraine.
China has strengthened its trade and military relations with Russia in recent years, as the United States and its allies imposed sanctions on the two countries, especially on Moscow, since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Chinese customs data showed that Sino-Russian trade reached a record level of $240.1 billion in 2023, an increase of 26.3% from the previous year. Chinese shipments to Russia jumped by 46.9% in 2023 while imports from Russia rose by 13%.
“The world today is far from calm. As a member of the UN Security Council and as a responsible country, China urges France for a truce in the world during the Paris Olympics,” Xi said through a translator alongside Macron. During a joint statement
Suspension of armed conflicts under an “Olympic truce” is an ancient tradition, and Macron said he would work to achieve this when Paris hosts the Summer Games from July 26 to August 11 and the Paralympics until the end of August.
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French officials hope Xi's endorsement is a sign that he may use his influence to persuade Russia to reach a truce when President Vladimir Putin travels to China later this month.
They hope that a small truce will open the window to broader diplomacy.
“We wanted to explain the impact of this conflict on Europe’s security and our determination to support Ukraine as long as necessary,” Macron said, adding that Paris was not seeking regime change in Moscow.
Macron expressed his hope that Putin's visit to China would help assess the prospects for peace.
Xi said he supports an international peace conference backed by Russia and Ukraine, and appeared lukewarm at the peace conference organized by Switzerland on June 16, to which Moscow was not invited.
He said, “We oppose using this crisis to place responsibility on a third country, distort its image, and incite a new cold war.”
“History has shown that conflicts can only be resolved through negotiations.”
Fighting on Ukraine's eastern front has worsened in recent weeks, with Ukrainian forces awaiting crucial US and European military aid to repel the Russian advance. Russia had previously been lukewarm about the truce, saying Ukraine might use it as an opportunity to regroup and rearm.
China's support for Russia
Beyond financial ties, Western powers were particularly concerned that Beijing might provide weapons to Moscow and circumvent existing sanctions on items that could be used for both civilian and military purposes.
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Macron said he was encouraged by Xi's commitments on the issue.
The two European leaders were keen to stress to Xi that despite Ukraine's current difficulties they are determined to continue supporting it and that Beijing needs to realize that the conflict is likely to continue, with Western powers unwilling to abandon Kiev.
“We are counting on China to use all its influence on Russia to end Russia’s aggressive war on Ukraine,” von der Leyen told reporters after a trilateral meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris.
Western powers have been trying for more than a year to persuade China not to provide military support to Russia.
French diplomatic sources said that Xi was clear that Beijing did not intend to supply Moscow with weapons and that it was prepared to look into the issue of dual-use items that enabled Russia's war effort.
They said they now had to see whether the commitments would translate into action. The European Union is currently discussing possible sanctions on some Chinese companies.
