President Emmanuel Macron met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing, as the French leader seeks to dissuade China from supporting Russia"s invasion of Ukraine.

Macron had said in a speech that Beijing can play a “major role” in finding a path to peace in the conflict and welcomed China’s “willingness to commit to a resolution”.

The French president, who arrived for a three-day state visit, shook hands with Xi outside the Great Hall of the People, the heart of power in the capital. Xi greeted his guest on a huge red carpet lined by Chinese and French flags as the countries" national anthems played, an AFP journalist said.