“The heads of the both countries stressed the importance of preserving freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden and called for an immediate cessation of attacks on the civilian ships in order to protect maritime security and global trade, preventing regional tensions, humanitarian and ecological risks,” the document, published by the Chinese government, read.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is on a visit to France, Serbia and Hungary from May 5–10 at the invitation of the European leaders. His first trip to Europe in nearly five years comes as the European Union continues piling pressure on Beijing over its support and cooperation with Russia. On Sunday, the Chinese leader arrived in France, where he will stay until Wednesday.