French top diplomat Barrot to visit China

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot will pay a two-day official visit to China this week, officials said on Monday.

Barrot will visit Beijing from Thursday at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, said a statement released by Beijing.

It would be Barrot’s first trip to China as the top diplomat of the European nation.

The visit comes amid the Trump administration’s push for normalizing ties with Russia and a ceasefire in the Ukraine war while the US president is pushing European nations to shoulder more of the defense budget.

About the ongoing US-Russia talks about Ukraine, Wang last week told Emmanuel Bonne, diplomatic adviser to the French president, that “this process should respect the will of the parties concerned, should not be imposed by a third party, and should not serve the interests of only one country."

The two held phone talks discussing bilateral ties as well as China-EU relations.

Wang's hosting of the French top diplomat also comes amid a raging tariff war initiated by Washington against its rivals as well as allies, including the EU.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez as well as EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic are also expected to visit China in the coming days.