Chinese President Xi Jinping heads to Paris on Sunday for an unusual visit, while French President Emmanuel Macron presses him to reduce trade imbalances and exert influence against Russia over Ukraine war. They are trying to persuade President Xi Jinping to do so.
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Neither goal will be easily achieved during Mr Xi’s two-day visit to France, which comes at a time of heightened trade tensions between Europe and China.
France supports the European Union’s investigation into China’s electric vehicle exports, and in January the Chinese government launched an investigation into imports of brandy (mainly from France). This is seen as a retaliatory measure as the number of cases is increasing.
“We must continue to press the Chinese authorities to provide further assurances on trade issues,” an Elysée adviser said ahead of President Xi’s first trip to Europe in five years.
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Mr. Xi was scheduled to arrive around 4 p.m. (4 p.m. Japan time). His official talks will include a joint meeting between Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Divisions within the European Union’s 27 members, particularly between France and Germany, have weakened its influence on China. According to sources familiar with the matter, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will not accompany Macron and Xi in Paris due to prior commitments.
“If European leaders send a different message to Mr. Xi, the leverage goes away,” said Noah Barkin, a senior adviser at Rhodium Group who closely follows EU-China relations.
France will also seek to advance the opening of China’s market to agricultural exports and resolve issues surrounding the French cosmetics industry’s concerns over intellectual property rights, officials said.
Ukraine talks
France is keen to provoke China and put pressure on Moscow to end its operations in Ukraine, but Xi’s decision to call Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for the first time shortly after Macron’s visit to Beijing last year Other than that, there has been little progress so far.
“China is one of Russia’s main partners and our aim is to use our influence on Russia to change Russian calculations and contribute to resolving the conflict,” said the same Elysée adviser.
read moreXi heads to Europe to protect Russia relations
“If China wants to deepen its relations with its European partners, it is very important that they start listening to us and taking us seriously,” a French diplomatic source said.
On Tuesday, President Macron will take Mr Xi to the Pyrenees, a mountain he particularly cherishes as the birthplace of his maternal grandmother.
The gesture echoes Mr. Xi’s decision to take Mr. Macron to a tea party at Mr. Xi’s father’s former residence in Guangzhou.
“Macron is always in charm mode, trying to win over foreign leaders by building personal relationships with them,” Barkin said.
“But I hope they have no illusions that taking Mr. Xi to a place he has cherished since childhood will make him cry and lead to compromise on the Chinese side.”
Mr. Xi will leave France on Tuesday afternoon and head to Serbia and Hungary, which have friendly relations with Russia.
(Reuters)
