Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron held an informal meeting in Guangzhou.
.in_text_content_22 { width: 300px; height: 600px; } @media(min-width: 600px) { .in_text_content_22 { width: 580px; height: 400px; } }
According to Reuters, the head of China is persuading France to “oppose” the United States.
Macron traveled to China with the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, however, only Macron was given a full red carpet and maximum attention, while the head of the EC is almost ignored.
Such trips by Xi, along with the leaders of countries coming from him, are rare. Diplomats say this highlights the importance Beijing places on this relationship with a key EU member as it seeks support against what Xi Jinping has called “comprehensive containment, encirclement and suppression” by the US, the publication said.
At the same time, as the newspaper notes, Macron was unable to achieve his goal during his visit to China. Xi Jinping has not changed his rhetoric about the war in Ukraine and support for Russia.
The Chinese leader considers France one of the likely allies in Europe, as evidenced by China’s downplayed attention to Uronula von der Leyen, who arrived with Ursula’s Macron.
In particular, Von der Leyen, who called China “repressive” in a critical speech before her trip, “appeared at times unhappy in Beijing, gave reserved greetings at the airport and was not invited to some state functions with Xi and Macron,” Reuters writes.
At the heart of all Chinese offensive actions in foreign policy are US-China relations … therefore, they will try to work with any country, especially with medium or large states such as France, to counter the United States, Zhao Suisheng, professor of Chinese studies and foreign policy at the University of Denver, commented on the meeting. .
Noah Barkin, an analyst at Rhodium Group, said China’s main goal is to prevent Europe from drawing closer to the United States.
In this sense, Macron is perhaps Beijing’s most important partner in Europe, Barkin said.
Recall that on April 6, 2023, Macron met with Xi Jinping in Beijing to persuade him to “bring Russia to consciousness.” However, the French president did not succeed. But France and China have signed several economic agreements involving leading companies in sectors such as transport, energy and agriculture, according to Euractiv.
One of the largest agreements signed with China involves the creation of a new production line at the Airbus plant in Tianjin. French energy company EDF has extended its agreement with Chinese nuclear plant operator CGN. Also, the French Suez received a contract for a seawater desalination project. And cosmetics company L’Oréal, which continues to operate in Russia, has entered into a three-year partnership with Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.