Photo: VCG

French Ambassador to China Bertrand Lortholary said on Thursday that France and China share a common interest in helping to end the Ukraine war, and China could certainly play an important role in helping find a road to peace.

During a group interview at the French Embassy in Beijing, Lortholary first summarized the fruitful results of the recent visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to China. On the Ukraine crisis, the French side believed that China could certainly play an important role in helping find a road to peace. "We are eager to see China play a role in the resolution of the conflict," Lortholary said, noting that China-Russia relations enable frequent exchanges between the two countries.

The two countries share a common interest in ending the war and share some common views of upholding the UN Charter, including the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, and preventing the menace of nuclear war, Lortholary said.

There should not be preconditions raised by either China or France for dialogue, he noted.

Macron defended his remarks on the Taiwan question, reiterating that being a US ally did not mean being a "vassal" as the French leader called for Europe to act more independently from the US over the Taiwan question.

On the Taiwan question, the French envoy affirmed that France upholds the one-China policy, which has never changed. "Our most important interest is to avoid conflict and war, and our policy aims to maintain stability, so we do not think about different scenarios or hypothesis about war or conflict," he said.

After Macron and von der Leyen recently finished their trips to China, more European leaders including Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock are coming to visit the country, which is also seen as a signal of resumption of high-level exchanges between China and Europe.

"President Macron hoped a few years ago that the dialogue between the EU as an unity with China could be enforced," Lortholary said, noting that it's also clear that the EU has a strong willingness to make their common voice heard by China.