Macron meets with Xi as China, France seal business deals
Beijing,(MILLAT ONLINE):Chinese President Xi Jinping and French counterpart Emmanuel Macron met Tuesday for talks and to oversee the signing of business deals as the two global leaders seek closer ties.
After touring Beijing’s sprawling Forbidden City, Macron met with Chinese business leaders and held talks with top officials at the imposing Great Hall of the People.
Xi, who had already hosted Macron and his wife Brigitte for dinner on Monday night, treated the French leader to a military honour guard at the hall before their meeting.
Macron, who has positioned himself as the leading voice of the European Union, came to Beijing to discuss an ambitious agenda with Xi, the most powerful Chinese leader in decades.
Macron has put on the charm during the visit, giving Xi a Republican Guard horse as a gift and delighting Chinese social media users by releasing a video of him learning to say his climate slogan, “Make the planet great again”, in Mandarin.
France, which runs a $30 billion euro ($36 billion) deficit with China, wants to “rebalance” its trade relationship with Beijing and, like other European nations, has demanded reciprocal access to the huge Chinese market.
“China is conducting its economic development strategy and, given the size of this market, it has an impact on globalisation as a whole,” Macron said while visiting a startup incubator, which offers new companies office space and other services, in Beijing.
“This requires a strong France. If France can’t adapt, it will fall behind,” he said.