At the Elysée Palace, the president will be in the morning with his host counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, who will be joined by the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in a forum with burning issues on the table, due to disagreements trade between Beijing and Brussels.
The EU accuses the Asian giant of subsidizing key economic sectors, in particular electric vehicles and steel, and carries out investigations in that direction, a position that China calls protectionist and to which it responds with similar investigations, for example on cognac. French.
Von del Leyen announced that she will ask Xi Jinping for a commitment to equitable competition, in order to prevent the bloc of 27 member states from being faced with “an excess supply of subsidized Chinese products.”
After the trilateral forum, the visitor will receive the honors of his investiture at the Invalides Palace, a ceremony that will be followed by talks at the Elysée with Macron.
The program of the official meeting seems predictable due to the interest of France, whose trade balance with China is unfavorable although stable, in not finding itself caught in a crossing of swords between the two giants of the world economy, the other being the United States.
Also on the agenda, as reported by the host party, are discussions regarding the conflict in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East, as well as addressing global challenges such as climate change, the protection of biodiversity and development aid.
Paris hopes that Beijing will put pressure on Russia from the West’s view of the war that broke out in February 2022, in which it has sided with kyiv with military aid and packages of economic sanctions against Moscow.
China claims to be acting in favor of peace and promoting a plan considered reasonable by Russia, but Ukraine has its own initiative.
Another issue on the leaders’ agenda is Macron’s announced interest in Xi Jinping supporting him in the materialization of an Olympic truce ahead of the Paris 2024 games, scheduled for July 26 to August 11.
In the context of the high-level visit, a France-China economic forum will meet in this capital at the Marigni theater.
Tomorrow the program will be more relaxed, with the visit of Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan to the col du Tourmalet, a paradisiacal mountain pass in the High Pyrenees, where they will talk in a frank and friendly atmosphere with Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron, of agreement with the Elysée.
The day before, upon his arrival in France, the Chinese leader highlighted his expectations for the visit, framed in the celebrations for the 60th anniversary of bilateral ties.
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