French President Emmanuel Macron met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday, pressing China to use its influence to help achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine and to address widening trade imbalances between Europe and China.
Macron and his wife, Brigitte, received an elaborate welcome at the Great Hall of the People, where the ceremony was moved indoors because of cold weather. The French leader greeted flower-holding children with blown kisses as a military band played the national anthems of both nations. This is Macron’s fourth visit to China since taking office in 2017. He is also expected to meet Premier Li Qiang before travelling to Chengdu, where two giant pandas recently returned to China after years on loan to France.
As the Ukraine conflict enters its fourth winter, Macron is urging Xi to push Moscow toward ending the war.“We are counting on China, like us a permanent member of the Security Council, to lean on Russia so that Vladimir Putin finally agrees to a ceasefire,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said earlier this week.
Macron’s three-day trip follows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s recent visit to Paris, where he urged Europe to stand firm behind Kyiv as U.S. President Donald Trump promotes his own plan to end the conflict.“We share the view that the war must be brought to a fair end,” Zelensky wrote after talks with Macron and phone discussions with other European leaders.
Trade will also feature prominently in Macron’s discussions, with the EU facing a $357 billion trade deficit with China.“China needs to consume more and export less, while Europeans should save less and produce more,” a Macron adviser said. The French president has repeatedly pushed for reducing Europe’s dependence on China, calling for a “European preference” in the tech sector. He recently told a European tech summit that the continent cannot afford to become a “vassal” to American and Chinese tech giants.
Macron will remain in China until Friday and conclude his visit in Chengdu, a stop the French presidency described as “quite exceptional” in terms of Chinese protocol. Chengdu recently welcomed back two pandas that had been on loan to France and have now returned to retire at a local sanctuary. Chinese officials say new pandas will be sent to France soon. During Macron’s last trip, he received a rock-star reception at a Guangzhou university, with students cheering, taking selfies and lining up for high-fives.
