French President, Emmanuel Macron, and EU president, Ursula von der Leyen, arrived in Beijing today to kickstart their ambitious diplomatic trip to dissuade China from switching to “war camp” on Ukraine.

The three-day visit will include over six hours of time with Chinese president, Xi Jinping, between meetings and banquets.

Speaking outside Beijing’s French embassy ahead of the talks, Macron expressed a willingness to reconnect with his Chinese counterpart. He dismissed the idea that there is “an inescapable spiral of mounting tensions” between the West and China, insisting: “I do not believe in this scenario.”