Beijing: Following years of tense relations, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron are scheduled to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday.

The European Union must resist cutting off trade and diplomatic ties with Beijing, which is at odds with the West over issues like Taiwan, sensitive technologies, and China's close ties to Russia, according to Macron, who arrived in Beijing late on Wednesday.

Prior to her visit, von der Leyen argued that since China had moved from an era of reform and opening to one of security and control, Europe needed to "de-risk" its relations with Beijing.

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China's refusal to condemn Russia for its invasion of Ukraine and an investment agreement that stalled in 2021 are the main reasons why relations between Europe and China have deteriorated recently.

China, however, is eager to make sure that Europe does not follow what it perceives as US-led efforts to contain its rise, having emerged from years of sparse diplomatic activity as pandemic border controls largely cut the country off from the rest of the world.

At least for Macron's visit, there are high hopes in Beijing. According to an editorial published on Thursday by the state-run Global Times, Macron's visit "is expected to produce concrete results in furthering economic and trade cooperation between China and France, as well as to increase political mutual trust."

The Global Times noted that various forces in Europe and the US were closely monitoring Macron's visit and were exerting influence in various ways. In other words, not everyone wants Macron's trip to China to be successful and uneventful.

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Premier Li Qiang, who was recently appointed, will first meet Macron at the Great Hall of the People before leaving for a "working lunch" with von der Leyen, who is visiting China for the first time since taking office as president of the European Commission in late 2019.

Before the three of them hold trilateral talks in the evening, Macron, von der Leyen, and President Xi Jinping will each have individual meetings later in the day.
Macron and von der Leyen have both stated that they hope to persuade China to use its sway over Russia to end the conflict in Ukraine, or at the very least to dissuade Beijing from directly aiding Moscow. The invasion of Ukraine is described as a "special military operation" by Russia.

Macron is expected to make deals with China. He is travelling with a 50-person business delegation that includes Airbus, the luxury company LVMH, and the nuclear energy producer EDF.

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However, not everyone at home agrees that sending that message is a good idea. Before Macron's visit, left-wing MEP Raphael Glucksmann posted on Twitter that "the goal is first and foremost to sign contracts" and that "three-quarters of the delegation are business leaders." The message is inappropriate at this time, when the debate in Europe centres on our suicidal reliance on China and Chinese meddling.