why Ursula von der Leyen accompanies Emmanuel Macron in China

Beijing can”play a major role” For “find a way of peace” in Ukraine: the tone was set by Emmanuel Macron from the start of a three-day state visit to China, emphasizing the relaunch of human contacts in an attempt to maintain dialogue on Ukraine and prevent the Asian giant from “switch to the war camp“.

>> Emmanuel Macron’s visit to China: the President of the Republic hopes to stem the rapprochement between Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin

The French president is back in China, a little less than four years after his last trip to China, it was in 2019 a few months before the appearance of the Covid which paralyzed the whole world. And before, also the war in Ukraine. The President of the Republic is this time accompanied by around fifty bosses of SMEs and companies, including those of Airbus, L’Oreal, Veolia, EDF and Danone, among others. The delegation also includes artists such as Jean-Jacques Annaud, who will present his latest film Notre Dame is burning as well as Chinese actress Gong Li.

Emmanuel Macron is also accompanied by the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen with the objective of displaying a united front and speaking with one voice: that of Europe against Xi Jinping. The Chinese regime is not happy with the arrival of Ursula von der Leyen, who warned Beijing: “The future of Sino-European relations, did she say, will depend on Beijing’s attitude towards Putin’s war in Ukraine”. However, neither Emmanuel Macron nor the head of the European executive want a distancing or an economic decoupling with the second world power.

New Security Policy

But the time has come for a new security strategy, in order to reduce the risks in many areas such as the supply of rare earths and the protection of sensitive high technologies.

This joint “reconnection” trip with China also comes at a tactical moment when the Chinese giant is facing serious difficulties: declining economic growth, after three years of catastrophic management of Covid-19. China also needs a dynamic and innovative Europe, especially as its relations with the United States are growing colder.