Harris to meet with Macron in Paris to work on U.s.-france relationship

WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris is pitching in on the White House charm offensive aimed at French President Emmanuel Macron.

The vice president arrives in Paris today for a four-day visit, the latest move in a concerted effort by the Biden administration to shore up the U.S. relationship with America’s oldest ally. Washington’s relations with Paris hit a historic low this year after a U.s.-british submarine deal with Australia scuttled a French deal with the Australians.

Harris will sit down with Macron on Wednesday at the Élysée Palace for talks that are expected to focus on ways the two nations can better coordinate efforts in the Indo-pacific and other issues impacting the relationship.

The high-level meeting comes less than two weeks after President Joe Biden met Macron on the margins of the Group of 20 summit in

Rome and acknowledged that his administration had handled the submarine deal in a “clumsy” way.

The U.S. and Britain’s agreement to provide Australia with submarine technology has been framed as opportunity for the U.S. to bolster a key Pacific ally’s naval capacity as the Biden administration has become increasingly concerned about China’s military aggressiveness in the region.

But France was livid, saying it was kept in the dark about the deal and its interests were ignored despite having territories in the Indo-pacific with 2 million people and 7,000 troops.

“The alliance between the United States and France is America’s oldest, and among our strongest,” Harris said in statement about her trip. “I look forward to discussing with President Macron our work together on the most urgent challenges of our time — including the climate crisis, the global health crisis, and regional security concerns.”