Top Chinese diplomat in Paris as first stop on European tour

(Patria) - Top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi met with French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday at the start of his European tour, amid renewed tensions between China and the United States, AFP reported.

Macron met with Wang, director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission, behind closed doors at the Elysée Palace. The French capital is the first stop on Wang's European tour. In the coming days, he will also travel to Italy, Hungary, Russia, and Germany. He is expected to deliver a speech at the Munich Security Conference, which begins on Friday.

Wang's week-long European tour is seen as part of China's efforts to mend ties with European countries amid rising tensions between the world's two largest economies, China and the United States, after the US shot down what it called a Chinese spy balloon earlier this year.

The trip comes amid China's efforts to counter Western pressure on trade, technology, human rights, and its claims to a large part of the Western Pacific. China's refusal to condemn the invasion of Ukraine nearly a year ago and join others in imposing sanctions on Russia, as the war approaches its first anniversary, has further soured relations with the West and fueled a growing divide with much of Europe.

In December, Wang defended what he called his country's stance of impartiality on the war in Ukraine and signaled that China would deepen ties with Russia in 2023. Speaking ahead of the trip, a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday that Wang would have "in-depth strategic communication" with the aim of "promoting new developments in bilateral relations, increasing strategic mutual trust between China and Europe, and exchanging views on important international issues."