French President Emmanuel Macron tried yesterday, with all means of diplomatic persuasion, to convince his Chinese guest, Xi Jinping, to be a partner in promoting world stability and peace. The strategy seemed to bear fruit. In a statement at the Elysée, Macron thanked Xi for “the commitment” not to sell weapons or dual-use technological equipment to Russia.
The dense day of meetings and protocol in Paris was focused on addressing commercial issues and international crises, especially the one in 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 the link with Beijing, in 2024 France wants to continue to maintain 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 it – and reiterated the Chinese rhetoric of respect for sovereignty and the pursuit of peace. As he had done in an article before 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 are opposed to using this crisis to attribute responsibility to a third country, to discredit its image and to 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 commercial agreements between the two states and their companies in areas such as aeronautics, the agri-food sector, the electric battery industry, rail 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 the current imbalances, in favor of China, that threaten European industry. Xi had good words and highlighted the openness to European manufactures and their 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 learned that, to smooth the way, the host’s gift list included a bottle of the exclusive Hennessy X.O. cognac. and another of Louis XIII, from the Rémy Martin winery.
Macron also got Xi to join the request for an Olympic truce, applied to all current conflicts, on the occasion of the Paris Olympics, which begin 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 compliment Xi, who was accompanied by his wife, Peng Liyuan, Macron deployed the ultimate republican pomp. The official welcoming ceremony took place in the afternoon on the Invalides esplanade, next to the tomb of Napoleon, a historical figure who arouses great interest and admiration in China. Brigitte Macron took the other first lady to the Musée d’Orsay, where an exhibit 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 chose France for the first trip to Europe since 2019, before the pandemic. The day today, Tuesday, will have a more intimate character so that the two leaders get to know each other better. Macron will show his guest the Port of Tourmalet, in the Pyrenees, one of the iconic peaks of the Tour de France, where they will have lunch.
