On his fourth state visit to Beijing, Emmanuel Macron On Thursday, the French president called on Chinese President Xi Jinping to strengthen geopolitical, trade, and environmental cooperation, as the European Union sought Beijing's support to help resolve the crisis in Ukraine. The French president arrived accompanied by a large delegation of business leaders, hoping to secure several economic agreements and give international momentum to his political agenda two years before the 2027 presidential election.
Faced with persistent trade tensions between China and the EU, particularly over heavily subsidized Chinese electric vehicles, Beijing is seeking to ease relations with Europe while consolidating its image as a reliable partner, in a context of global economic slowdown fueled by new tariffs imposed by Donald TrumpMacron, for his part, wants to achieve a better balance in bilateral trade and encourage China to use its influence with Moscow.
During their meeting at the People's Palace, the French president defended a "positive program" structured around three priorities — geopolitical stability, economic rebalancing and environmental sustainability — stating that Franco-Chinese dialogue was "vital" in the current period. Xi Jinping For its part, it urged France to preserve its geopolitical independence in its international relations.
China is also trying to turn this visit into a diplomatic victory, as Beijing seeks to counter American pressure and demonstrate its ability to engage with major European players, despite trade tensions and sensitive issues such as Ukraine.
