Macron’s visit set to enhance ties

French President Emmanuel Macron’s upcoming state visit to China is expected to map out a blueprint for bilateral cooperation in various fields and bring the China-France comprehensive strategic partnership to a greater height, the Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

Geng Shuang, the ministry’s spokesman, expressed high hopes for the visit when asked at a daily news conference about details of the Monday-to-Wednesday trip.

President Xi Jinping will hold events for the French president during Macron’s first China visit since assuming office, and Premier Li Keqiang and top legislator Zhang Dejiang will also meet with Macron, according to Geng.

Macron also will travel to Xi’an, capital of Shaanxi province, and tour the Palace Museum in Beijing.

Macron’s office said a series of commercial deals are expected to be signed during the visit, the Associated Press reported.

Since both China and France are permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, their relationship has “a global influence that transcends bilateral context”, the spokesman said.

During the visit, Xi and Macron will promote mutual political trust, and they will conduct an in-depth exchange of views on the international situation as well as major international and regional issues, he said.

They will discuss how to strengthen cooperation, jointly champion multilateralism, promote the development of a multipolar world, promote an open world economy and improve global governance, he added.

Cui Hongjian, director of the Department for European Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, said Macron will be the first foreign head of state to visit China in the new year.

“The trip will boost confidence between the two major countries and will also help address issues between China and Europe,” Cui said at a forum hosted by the Charhar Institute think tank on Thursday in Beijing.

It is important for the two nations to send signals during the trip about jointly promoting globalization and championing an open world economy at a time when global free trade is faced with headwinds and domestic reform in France is faced with obstacles, Cui said.