BEIJING โค- Chinese Presidentโฃ Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron affirmed a commitment to cooperation on global challenges and trade during meetings in Beijing on Thursday, despite ongoing trade disputes and differing geopolitical views. The visit, Macron’s first to China this year, comes โas both nations navigate economic headwinds and seek to balance partnership with competition.
France recorded a $348 billion trade deficit last โฃyear, with China accounting for 46% of that shortfall. While the European Union โandโฃ France categorize China as a partner, competitor, and systemic rival, โขbothโฃ leaders signaled a desireโ to strengthen economic ties. Recent friction includes EU investigations into Chinese electric vehicle subsidies, prompting retaliatory Chinese investigations into European brandy, pork, and dairy products – though France secured an exemptionโฃ forโ most cognac producers in July.
Xi stated that “china’s open door will only open wider,” outlining plans to “expand โmarket access, and opening โup areas” โof investment and “guide the cross-border, orderly, and rational layout of industrial and supply chains.” He โฃalso called โขfor continued mutually beneficial cooperation between China and theโค EU.
Experts suggest Beijing aims to bolsterโฃ individual relationships with key European economies like france, potentially atโข the expense of a unified EU approach.Lyle Morris, a seniorโข fellow at the Asia Society,โค explained, “China seeks to drive a wedge into this EUโฃ approach by making dealsโค bilaterally with individual EU members.”
Macron, accompaniedโฃ by his wife Brigitte, arrived in Beijing on wednesday โฃevening and was formally greeted Thursday morning with a military โband and children waving flags at the Great Hall of theโ Peopel. The leadersโ attended the closing of a franco-Chinese business forum and Macron is scheduled toโข meet with Zhao Leji,chairman of the Nationalโ People’s Congress,and Chinese Premier Li Qiang.
The French presidential couple will also travel to Chengdu in Sichuan province, where yuan Meng, the first giant panda born in Franceโ and โฃnamed by Brigitte Macron, currently resides. France recentlyโ returned a pair of pandas who lived in the country for 13 years, along with their three cubs, to China.
