French President Emmanuel Macron will most likely ask Chinese President Xi Jinping, who arrives in Paris this Sunday for a rare visit, to reduce trade imbalances and use his influence with Russia in relation to the war in Ukraine.
Macron’s hopes are unlikely to be fulfilled at a time when trade disputes between Europe and China are multiplying.
France is supporting a European Union investigation into Chinese electric vehicle exports, and in January Beijing opened an investigation into imports of mostly French-made brandy, a move widely seen as retaliation for a growing body of investigations. of the EU.
“We want to obtain reciprocity in commercial exchanges and that the elements of our economic security are taken into account,” said Macron in an interview with the French newspaper La Tribuneon Sunday, ahead of Xi’s two-day visit, his first trip to Europe in five years.
Xi’s arrival is scheduled for 4pm (3pm in mainland Portugal). His official meetings will include talks with Macron and the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
The 27 EU member states, namely France and Germany, are divided over their attitude towards China. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will not join Macron and Xi in Paris due to prior commitments, the sources said.
“In Europe, we are not unanimous on the issue because some actors continue to see China as a market of opportunities,” said Macron, without naming any country. These divisions could undermine the EU’s ability to influence the Asian giant.
France will also seek to make progress in opening the Chinese market to its agricultural exports and resolve issues related to the French cosmetics industry’s concerns over intellectual property rights, the officials said.
France has sought to get China to pressure Moscow to suspend operations in Ukraine, with little progress beyond Xi’s decision to call Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for the first time shortly after Macron visited Beijing last year.
“If the Chinese want to deepen relations with European partners, it is very important that they listen to our point of view and start taking it seriously,” said a French diplomatic source.
On Tuesday, Macron will take Xi to the Pyrenees, a mountainous region that is dear to him as it is the birthplace of his maternal grandmother.
Next, the Chinese President will visit Serbia and Hungary, countries friendly to Russia. Reuters
