Merz calls on China to support Western plan for peaceful settlement in Ukraine

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has called on Chinese leader Xi Jinping to support Western efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine, The Guardian reports.

In their first phone call since he took office last month, Merz told Xi about “the common efforts of Europe and the EU to bring about a quick ceasefire in Ukraine” and that he urged China to “support these efforts,” the report notes.

According to the official Chinese readout of the call, Xi called for “stable and predictable ties” between the two countries.

Xi also “pointed out that the world today is undergoing accelerated changes unseen in a century, with the convergence of changes and chaos in the international situation,” AFP said.

The two leaders also reportedly spoke about the need for “fair competition” in economic relations between the two countries.