Is Macron-Von der Leyen duo going to adopt a ‘good cop, bad cop’ strategy during China visit?

French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are visiting Beijing for a three-day state visit to dissuade China from supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

This is the latest European visit to China since Beijing dropped its zero-Covid restrictions in December 2022.

Macron’s visit aims to engage with Chinese President Xi Jinping while standing firm on Ukraine, but taking another path from the confrontational position adopted by the US.

The visit is also aimed at rebalancing trade ties with Beijing. The European leaders are expected to play “good cop, bad cop”.

The visit comes after China released a 12-point “peace plan” to pause fighting in Ukraine, which critics described as a victory roll for Russia rather than aimed at Kyiv’s interests.