Macron looks to galvanise EU as Xi wraps up visit
PARIS: Chinese President Xi Jinping was heading to the French Riviera yesterday for the final leg of his European tour, as France’s Emmanuel Macron looks to forge a united European front to contend with China’s global ambitions.
Mr Xi’s trip was to begin in the Mediterranean city of Nice and a stop in the nearby principality of Monaco before face-to-face talks with Mr Macron.
Today, the two leaders will head to Paris for an official state visit, marking 55 years since Charles de Gaulle broke ranks with the West to establish diplomatic relations with the Communist nation.
A series of cooperation deals on nuclear power, aerospace and clean energy initiatives, some involving lucrative contracts, are expected to be signed.
But Mr Xi’s visit poses a particular challenge for Mr Macron, who wants to deepen EU ties with China while also pushing back against Beijing’s growing clout.
Europe’s distrust of Huawei, which is poised to become the dominant player in next-generation telecom networks worldwide, is emblematic of the increasingly rocky relationship.
“We have a lot to do together in terms of climate action, in terms of multilateralism, but we also have to defend our own interests,” Mr Macron said in Brussels on Thursday.
He has lauded the EU’s “awakening” to the challenges posed by China, which the bloc now labels a “rival” despite becoming Europe’s biggest trading partner.
“The reality is that the world has changed significantly — China is not the country it once was, and we are dealing with a very major partner,” a Mr Macron aide said ahead of Mr Xi’s visit.
Tomorrow, Mr Macron and Mr Xi will be joined by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker to explore “points of convergence” ahead of an EU-China summit in Brussels next month.
Mr Xi arrives in France from Italy, which has angered its EU partners by formally joining China’s “new Silk Road” initiative for a string of maritime, rail and road connections aiming at expanding Chinese trade.
Mr Macron is expected to press his call for increased “reciprocity” regarding market access to China, in particular Beijing’s demands that foreign companies hand over vital technological knowhow in order to invest in the country.
“If we’re going to talk about a new Silk Road, then it must be one that goes in both directions,” Finance Minister JeanYves Le Drian said on Friday.
Telecom giant Huawei is another fraught issue at the centre of a dispute over the rollout of crucial 5G mobile network infrastructure.
The US is pressuring European allies to not use the Huawei technology, saying it creates a security risk by potentially letting Beijing snoop on sensitive communications.
So far, France has not ruled out using Huawei gear — and Monaco has already signed a deal with the Chinese firm to roll out 5G by this year.
Beijing has bristled at the suspicions, accusing Washington of trying to escalate President Donald Trump’s trade battle with China.