Qin Gang calls for China, France to work together to ‘tackle global challenges’

China and France should boost cooperation on international affairs and work together to “tackle global challenges”, Foreign Minister Qin Gang said in talks with his French counterpart Catherine Colonna on Wednesday.

During their meeting in Paris, Qin said the two sides should expand exchanges at all levels, according to a Chinese foreign ministry readout.

“China has always seen Europe as a comprehensive strategic partner and has always shown clear support for Europe’s efforts to strengthen strategic autonomy and its active role on the international stage,” Qin said.

“China-EU relations should neither target, be attached to, nor be limited by a third party,” he added.

Colonna said France was ready to strengthen communication with China on major international and regional issues such as Ukraine to “find more common ground”, according to the Chinese statement.

Qin also reaffirmed China’s position on pushing for a political settlement of the war in Ukraine and said Beijing would continue communicating with all parties and play a constructive role.

Qin and Colonna last met in April in Beijing, during French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to China with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen.

Macron and von der Leyen told Chinese President Xi Jinping that Europe was “counting on China” to help end the conflict in Ukraine, with Macron urging Xi to “bring everyone back to the negotiating table”.

Weeks later, Xi spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for the first time since Russia’s invasion. A few hours after the phone call, Beijing said it would send a special envoy to mediate in Ukraine.

During the Paris meeting on Wednesday, Colonna told Qin that China had “an important role to play in convincing Russia to return to full respect for the Charter of the United Nations, in particular the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine”, according to a French foreign ministry statement.

She also urged China to intervene in the “serious” nuclear proliferation in Iran and North Korea by urging “full compliance with their international obligations”.

During Wednesday’s meeting, Qin also called for China and France, as well as the EU, to build a “more stable and trustful supply chain partnership”.

Qin also met Emmanuel Bonne, the French president’s diplomatic adviser, with the two sides discussing bilateral ties and “the Ukraine issue”, according to the readouts. Bonne has reportedly been tasked to work with Beijing on a plan to bring Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table.

China and France should have frequent high-level contact, more exchanges at all levels and explore new areas to work together, Qin said, pointing to the joint statement signed by Xi and Macron last month that called for wide-ranging cooperation.

The Chinese foreign minister started this week’s three-nation Europe trip in Germany and will travel to Norway next.

In Berlin on Tuesday, Qin highlighted Europe’s pursuit of “strategic autonomy” – an idea Beijing welcomes since it stresses strategic independence from its rival Washington.

He also raised concern over Brussels’ strategy of “de-risking from China”, taking a veiled swipe at the US when he warned that the “real risk” came from “a certain country” that was waging a “new cold war”, imposing unilateral sanctions and exporting its own financial problems to others.