French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen arrive in Beijing this week for a visit France has framed as a high stakes chance to push China to do more for peace in Ukraine, but where European economic interests will also loom large, writes CNN.

Macron – who is traveling with a delegation of roughly 50 business leaders – will meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and other top officials on Thursday, before a separate meeting with Xi and von der Leyen later that day, according to an Elysee source.

Macron landed in Beijing late Wednesday afternoon, it was not immediately clear when von der Leyen would arrive in the capital.

The three-day visit comes amid urgency in Europe to find a path to peace in Russia’s devastating war in Ukraine, and as European leaders grapple with how to navigate their relationship with Beijing – a top EU trade partner whose close ties with Moscow and aggressive foreign policy have made them increasingly wary.

Macron has for months telegraphed his view that China could play a role in resolving the conflict in Ukraine – and his intention to travel to Beijing to discuss how.