French President Emmanuel Macron meets Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday, pushing for stronger cooperation on geopolitics, trade and environmental issues as Europe looks to China for help in ending the war in Ukraine.
Macron arrived with a large business delegation on his fourth state visit to China, aiming to secure new commercial deals and rebuild his foreign-policy profile ahead of the 2027 presidential election. China, meanwhile, wants to ease tensions with the EU over its subsidised electric-vehicle industry and present itself as a stable trading partner amid growing pressure from US tariffs.
The French leader urged Beijing to support global stability and help rebalance trade with Europe. But major announcements remain unlikely. China is not expected to approve a long-anticipated 500-jet Airbus order or lift price requirements on French cognac, as both are being used as leverage in ongoing trade discussions with Washington and Brussels. Beijing is also not expected to ease duties on EU pork, keeping pressure on the bloc after it supported tariffs on Chinese EVs last year.
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Xi offered warm diplomatic treatment by joining Macron on a visit to Sichuan on Friday, but political limits continue to shape the partnership. Despite signalling an interest in peace efforts, China recently reassured Russia of its support. The EU also introduced new economic-security measures this week to reduce reliance on Beijing.
Both sides signed a package of 12 cooperation agreements covering investment, nuclear energy, ageing populations and panda conservation. China also announced $100 million in aid for Palestinian reconstruction, far below the EU's earlier pledge.
Executives from Airbus, BNP Paribas, Schneider Electric and Alstom joined the visit, underlining the economic stakes for France. China is France's seventh-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade showing a persistent imbalance. French exports, from cosmetics to aircraft parts and spirits, total around $35 billion a year, while imports from China reach $45 billion, dominated by low-cost parcels shipped directly to EU consumers.