French President Emmanuel Macron has cautioned the West against becoming trapped in an "inescapable spiral of mounting tensions" with China on a visit to Beijing today.

The French president said Europe must resist eroding diplomatic and trade ties with Beijing, while warning it was not in China's interest to supply weapons for a "lasting war" in Ukraine.

An adviser to the French leader said China's proximity with Russia makes it perhaps the only country that could have a "game-changing effect on the conflict".

Mr Macron told reporters at the French embassy in Beijing: "We hear increasingly loud voices expressing a strong concern about the future of relations between the West and China that in some form lead to the conclusion that there is an inescapable spiral of mounting tensions."

He said maintaining dialogue with China was key given its close relations with Russia.

(Source: Sky News)