French President Emmanuel Macron and the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, are expected to pressure Chinese President Xi Jinping this Monday (6) to reduce trade imbalances and use their influence over Russia during the war in Ukraine.
Xi is in Europe for the first time in five years at a time of rising trade tensions, with the European Union investigating several Chinese industries, including electric vehicle exports, while Beijing is mainly investigating French brandy imports.
“The current imbalances in market access are not sustainable and need to be addressed,” von der Leyen said in a statement, calling Europe’s relationship with China “one of the most complex, but also one of the most important.”
“Europe cannot accept such market-distorting practices that could lead to deindustrialization in Europe,” she said.
In a statement released upon his arrival in Paris, Xi praised ties between the two nations.
Xi said ties between China and France are “a model for the international community of peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation between countries with different social systems.”
Chinese state media sought to strike a conciliatory tone in several editorials.
“Economic and trade cooperation between China and the EU is enormous, and bumps and bruises are inevitable,” wrote People's Daily, the Communist Party's flagship newspaper. “China is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with the EU, promote cooperation and resolve differences through dialogue.”
The 27 members of the EU – in particular France and Germany – are not unified in their attitude towards China.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will not join Macron and Xi in Paris due to prior commitments, sources said.
“In Europe, we are not unanimous on the issue because some players still see China as essentially a market of opportunities,” Macron told La Tribune newspaper ahead of Xi’s two-day visit.
France is hoping to convince China to pressure Moscow to halt operations in Ukraine, with little progress beyond Xi's decision to call on President Volodymyr Zelensky for the first time shortly after Macron visited Beijing last year.
France also hopes to open the Chinese market to its agricultural exports and resolve issues surrounding the French cosmetics industry's concerns about intellectual property rights, officials said. Meanwhile, China may announce an order for around 50 Airbus aircraft during Xi's visit.
After Paris, Macron will take Xi to the Pyrenees, a mountainous region beloved by the French president as the birthplace of his maternal grandmother, before Xi heads to Russia's friends Serbia and Hungary.
Source: CNN Brasil
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