French President Emmanuel Macron strove this Monday, with all means of diplomatic persuasion, to convince his Chinese guest, Xi Jinping, to be a partner in promoting global stability and peace. The strategy seemed to pay off. In a statement at the Elysée, Macron thanked Xi for “the commitment” not to sell weapons or dual-use technological material to Russia.
The dense day of meetings and protocol in Paris was focused on addressing trade issues and international crises, especially that of Ukraine. The day began with a three-way meeting – which included the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen – and ended with a state dinner at the Elysée to commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of the establishment of relations between General De Gaulle’s France and Mao’s China. If in 1964 Paris was ahead of the United States in normalizing its ties with Beijing, in 2024 France wants to continue maintaining an autonomous and special relationship with a country that, like it, belongs to the exclusive club of nuclear powers and, at the same time, permanent members of the UN Security Council.
Xi did not mention the issue of the sale of weapons and dual-use components to Moscow – he does not officially admit to doing so – and reiterated Chinese rhetoric of respect for sovereignty and pursuit of peace. As he had done in a previous article in Le Figaro, the Chinese president insisted that his country “is neither party nor participant” in the conflict. In addition, he warned those who make false accusations, in a veiled allusion to Washington. “We oppose this crisis being used to place responsibility on a third country, discredit its image and incite a new cold war.”
The appearance of Macron and Xi was without questions from the press, to avoid discomfort. It was preceded by a long list of economic and trade agreements between the two states and their companies in areas such as aeronautics, the agri-food sector, the electric battery industry, railway transport and waste treatment. Macron and Von der Leyen had made it clear to their Chinese interlocutor that they expect reciprocity in access to markets and the correction of current imbalances, in favor of China, that threaten European industry. Xi had good words and highlighted the openness to European manufacturing and its agri-food products. There was a symbolic gesture that Macron expressly valued in his statement: there will be no announced restrictions on French cognac. It was later revealed that, to pave the way, the host’s gift list included a bottle of the exclusive Hennessy X.O cognac. and another from Louis XIII, from the Rémi Martin winery.
Macron also managed to get Xi to join the request for an Olympic truce, applied to all current conflicts, on the occasion of the Paris Olympic Games, which start on July 26. The Chinese president did not forget to refer to the Gaza conflict, for which he demanded an immediate ceasefire from the parties, in addition to the recognition of Palestine as a full member of the international community.
To entertain Xi, who traveled accompanied by his wife, Peng Liyuan, Macron displayed maximum republican pomp. The official reception ceremony took place in the afternoon on the Esplanade des Invalides, next to the tomb of Napoleon, a historical figure who arouses much interest and admiration in China. Brigitte Macron took the other first lady to the Orsay Museum, where an exhibition on the origins of the Impressionist movement is on display.
The French president has taken care of the details, sensitive to the fact that Xi has chosen France for his first trip to Europe since 2019, before the pandemic. Today’s session will have a more intimate accent, so that the two leaders can get to know each other better. Macron will show his guest the Tourmalet pass, in the Pyrenees, one of the iconic peaks of the Tour de France, where they will have lunch.
