Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron discuss French leader’s recent China visit
- The call signals an effort to calm tensions over how to deal with Beijing, after Macron said Europe should not be drawn into a US-China fight over Taiwan
- The leaders also ‘agreed on the importance of continuing to engage’ China to help seek an end to the Ukraine conflict
US President Joe Biden and President Emmanuel Macron talked on Thursday about the French leader’s recent trip to China, the White House said, signalling an effort to calm tensions over how to deal with Beijing.
They “discussed President Macron’s recent travel to the People’s Republic of China and their ongoing efforts to advance prosperity, security, shared values, and the rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific region”, a White House statement said.
“They reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”
Biden and Macron also discussed the Russian invasion of pro-Western Ukraine and “reiterated their steadfast support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s brutal aggression”.
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French and EU leaders urge China to ‘bring Russia to its senses’ and stop invasion of Ukraine
The leaders “agreed on the importance of continuing to engage” China so that Beijing contributes “in the medium term to the end of the conflict” in Ukraine, the French presidency said.