France's Macron begins China trip with Ukraine, trade on agenda

French President Emmanuel Macron has arrived in Beijing for a three-day state visit in which he hopes to dissuade China from supporting Russia's offensive on Ukraine, while also forging closer ties with a crucial trade partner.

"We must not disassociate ourselves, separate ourselves from China," Macron told a gathering of the French community in Beijing on Wednesday shortly after his arrive.

He said France would "commit proactively to continue to have a commercial relationship with China".

Macron is also looking to stand firm on Ukraine during talks on Wednesday with his counterpart Xi Jinping and offer "another path" from the directly confrontational tone often heard from Washington, an official from his office told reporters before the trip.

The French leader's aims include preserving and rebalancing China's trade ties with Europe as well as safeguarding French interests in the Asia-Pacific region, where Paris sees itself as a player due to its overseas territories and military deployments.

On the eve of his visit, Macron discussed his trip to China and support for Ukraine during a phone call with US President Joe Biden, the White House said.

Macron and Biden agreed ahead of the French leader's visit to to engage China to hasten the end of the war in Ukraine, the Elysee Palace said on Wednesday.

"The two leaders have mentioned their joint willingness to engage China to accelerate the end of the war in Ukraine and take part in building sustainable peace in the region," Macron's office said in a statement.

READ MORE: France's Macron heads to China for delicate talks on Ukraine and trade

The Elysee said Macron and Biden both hoped China could contribute to solidarity efforts between the global north and global south and build a joint agenda for the climate and biodiversity.

Macron landed in Beijing at around 3:30 pm (0730 GMT). He is scheduled to hold talks on Thursday with Chinese leaders and attend a state dinner in the evening.

He will travel to Guangzhou in southern China to meet local students on Friday, taking with him a broad delegation of top politicians, business leaders and even celebrities, including composer Jean-Michel Jarre.

Macron's visit - his first in four years - coincides with a flashpoint meeting between Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California on Wednesday.

Beijing has said it would "closely monitor the situation and firmly defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity", and warned Republican McCarthy that he would be "playing with fire" by meeting Tsai.

China claims the Taiwan, the self-governing island, as part of its territory to be retaken one day, by force if necessary.

The presence of European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, who met Macron in Paris on Monday to coordinate preparations, is a clear sign the trip will ripple beyond France across the entire 27-nation European Union.

In a speech last week, von der Leyen cautioned Beijing against direct support for the war in Ukraine, while ruling out the EU "decoupling" from China.

READ MORE: Taiwan leader set to meet US House Speaker despite China warning