FRENCH leader Emmanuel Macron was set to conclude his fourth state visit to China, striking a more relaxed note after some tough discussions with his counterpart Xi Jinping the previous day on Ukraine and trade.
The French president and his wife Brigitte were scheduled yesterday to head to the city of Chengdu, southwestern Sichuan province, to meet the Chinese presidential couple in a setting worlds apart from the monumental and solemn Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
Macron said he was “very touched” by this gesture, a departure from official protocol, after he hosted Xi in the Pyrenees in May 2024.
These are all signs of mutual trust and a desire to “act together” at a time when international tensions are rising and trade imbalances are widening to China’s advantage, he said on Thursday.
After his visit to the Pyrenees, Xi chose to take his guest to the slopes of Mount Qingcheng, at around 726m elevation, where an imposing dam and third-century BC irrigation system are located.
The four were set to conclude their reunion with lunch, before the Macrons continued with a more personal agenda.
In Chengdu, Macron met with students, while Brigitte visited the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding where two 17-year-old pandas, loaned to France in 2012 as part of China’s “panda diplomacy”, have just returned.
For his part, the French president will meet table tennis brothers Alexis and Felix Lebrun, stars of the 2024 Paris Olympics, who are in China for the Mixed Team Table Tennis World Cup.
On Thursday in Beijing, Macron urged Xi to work towards ending the war in Ukraine and to correct the trade imbalances with France and Europe.
China regularly calls for peace talks and respect for the territorial integrity of all countries, but has never condemned Russia for its 2022 invasion.
Macron’s call for increased Chinese investment in France appears to have been heeded.
A letter of intent to this effect was signed on Thursday, with Xi stating his readiness to “increase reciprocal investments” for a “fair trading environment.” — AFP
