Alex and Alexander: Macron & Ursula, disaster trip to Beijing

Here is a number of headlines about the visit.

Macron went to China to discuss the war, Putin and Ukraine, but Xi did not hear him, writes the Western press following the visit of the French President to Beijing.

In particular, Macron tried to enlist the support of China both personally and publicly, which Xi did not like, writes the BBC.

And when Macron decided to address him directly and started talking about Ukraine, Xi did not hide his irritation and even sighed impatiently a couple of times.

Macron suggested that Xi put pressure on Putin and “bring Russia to its senses” in order to stop the aggression against Ukraine. Xi did not react to these words in any way, never mentioned Russia, and never once uttered the word “war”.

The French newspaper Le Monde also writes that “Macron failed to convince Xi Jinping”.

She notes that Macron was unable to persuade Xi to even condemn Putin’s intention to send nuclear weapons to Belarus. The Chinese leader escaped with traditional general words about non-proliferation, world peace and respect for the interests of all countries.

“Really cold shower,” Le Monde quoted an unnamed French diplomat as saying.

The French newspaper, Les Echos, writes that “Xi has not succumbed to Macron’s charm.”

“The French president confirmed that Beijing is capable of playing a crucial role in finding a path to peace, but no movement was seen from Xi’s side,” the newspaper writes. “He made no hint of a possible change in the Chinese position in reconciling Moscow and Kiev “.

China Daily writes following the meeting that “Beijing and Moscow are deepening ties.”

Politico writes that while Macron spoke for himself, Xi read from a piece of paper.

Xi also did not respond to calls to besiege Putin or at least refrain from military assistance. And just before the Europeans’ visit, newly appointed Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang decided to have his first phone call in his new rank with his Russian counterpart Mikhail Mishustin.

“China applied the principle of divide and rule to two European leaders who came together to present a united European front,” writes Politico and notes that Xi even tried to present Macron as his ally in the fight against the US, saying that France and China “jointly oppose the mentality of the cold war and bloc confrontation.”

Recall, Reuters, following the results of the talks between the President of France and the leader of China in Beijing , reported that Xi Jinping persuaded Macron to “confront” with the United States.