China wants Europe to become more independent from the US course correction Chinese? G20 statement with war criticism +++ Lavrov warmly welcome

China wants Europe to become more independent from the US. Meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the G20 summit in the Indonesian island of Bali on Tuesday, Chinese leader Xi Jinping said that France and the European Union, as key figures in a turbulent world, join China, ” maintain the spirit of… independence and autonomy.” Diplomats say the hint masks China’s wish that Europeans would follow the US less.

Xi Jinping praised the development of relations between China and France, which had “maintained positive momentum,” as China’s Xinhua news agency reported at the Great Economic Nations (G20) summit in Bali. Both countries had “made positive progress in important cooperation”. Macron is the second European leader to meet Xi Jinping at the latest party congress after his reelection, after Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who was in Beijing earlier this month.

Macron expressed concern over Russia’s continuation of the war in Ukraine, according to the Elysee Palace. The consequences of this conflict extended beyond European borders and should be overcome through close coordination between France and China. Both heads of state had emphasized the need to prevent the use of nuclear weapons. Both had shown their determination to support the economies most at risk from the current crisis. (aeg/sda/dpa)