Macron visits China to boost trade ties

Macron’s office said the trip aims to strengthen economic ties and promote a more balanced trading relationship that supports “sustainable, solid growth that benefits everyone.” France hopes to draw greater Chinese investment and widen access for French exports. Both sides are expected to sign agreements in sectors including energy, aviation and the food industry.

The French president also plans to defend “fair and reciprocal market access” amid ongoing trade tensions between the European Union and China. The EU recorded a trade deficit of more than 300 billion euros ($348 billion) with China last year, while China alone accounts for nearly half of France’s total trade gap.

Recent disputes have ranged from electric vehicle subsidies to China’s retaliatory probes into European brandy, pork and dairy imports. Paris welcomed China’s recent decision to exempt most cognac producers from punitive measures, noting France remains China’s top supplier of wine and spirits.

Macron will also discuss Russia’s war in Ukraine with President Xi Jinping, following talks on Monday in Paris with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about possible ceasefire terms. A senior French diplomatic official said Paris wants Beijing to use its influence to push Russia toward “a ceasefire as quickly as possible,” followed by negotiations that guarantee Ukraine’s long-term security. France also expects China to avoid supplying Russia with any materials that could prolong the conflict.

China’s Foreign Ministry has reiterated that Beijing supports “dialogue and negotiation” and claims it has played a “constructive role” since the war began.

Macron, accompanied by his wife Brigitte, will arrive in Beijing on Wednesday evening and visit the newly restored Qianlong Garden in the Forbidden City. On Thursday, he will meet Xi at the Great Hall of the People before taking part in a Franco-Chinese business forum. He will later meet Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People’s Congress, and Premier Li Qiang.

The French presidential couple will then travel to Chengdu in Sichuan province. On Friday, Macron and Xi will meet in Dujiangyan, home to one of the world’s oldest irrigation systems, before Macron visits students at Sichuan University.

Chengdu also hosts the Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, where Yuan Meng — the first giant panda born in France and named by Brigitte Macron — now resides. France recently returned a pair of pandas that had lived in the country for 13 years and produced three cubs, reports UNB.