This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service.

I'm John Archie Leiland at 13 hours GMT on Thursday the 6th of April. These are our main stories.

France is president and a state visit to Beijing calls on China's leader to bring Russia to its

senses over the war in Ukraine. China moves its warships close to Taiwan after a high profile visit

to the US by the Taiwanese president. There's alarming new research about Antarctica's melting ice

sheet. Also in this podcast it is quite a huge task quite no wrecking but it's also an honour to

serve this country. A historic moment for zambian women in tech.

And we start this podcast in Beijing.

A Chinese militantly banned played the French national anthem and there was a 21 gun salute as

France's president Emmanuel Macron was welcomed with full honours by his Chinese counterpart

Xi Jinping on a state visit, the latest in a series by European leaders. Mr Macron used his

talks with Mr Xi to urge him to use his influence with Russia to help bring an end to the war

in Ukraine. To speak of this beneficial strategic partnership between our two countries is

obviously to speak of peace and stability in the world. We are attached to it and I know that you

are attached to respect for the United Nations Charter, to the strict compliance with the texts

that apply to the nuclear field and therefore to everything that allows peace and stability on the

planet. And in this respect the Russian aggression in Ukraine has struck a blow against this stability.

It has put an end to decades of peace in Europe and I know that I can count on you under the two

principles that I just mentioned to bring Russia to its senses and everyone to the negotiating table.

Mr Macron's visit comes as relations between the West and the world's second biggest economy

have soured in recent years. He's being accompanied by the European Commission Chief Ursula Von

DeLion. After bilateral talks between the two men, the three then held a joint meeting,

...