BEIJING, CHINA – DECEMBER 3: French President Emmanuel Macron (R) and Chinese President Xi Jinping walk during a state visit at the Great Hall of the People on December 3, 2025 in Beijing, China.
Adek Berry Pool | Getty Images News | Getty Images
President Xi Jinping told President Emmanuel Macron in Beijing on Thursday that China is willing to increase imports of products from France in exchange for a “fair and favorable environment” for Chinese companies in European countries.
The French president began a three-day visit to China on Wednesday as tensions escalate over a range of topics, including trade imbalances and the protracted war in Ukraine. This will be his first visit to Beijing in more than two years.
In a separate readout from the French government, Macron told Xi that the two countries must cooperate on the basis of “balanced relations” and called on Beijing to help end the Russia-Ukraine war.
According to a French translation of the statement, Macron welcomed the Chinese government’s renewed willingness to facilitate access to the Chinese market for “French products, especially agricultural products,” including wine, pork, poultry and beef.
President Macron said countries would work towards establishing a framework that would allow for increased Chinese direct investment in Europe, particularly France, and create more jobs there.
The two leaders also signed several agreements, including on energy, agriculture, education and the environment, according to official statements in Chinese state media, but the details of the agreements were not detailed.
President Xi also called for deepening bilateral cooperation in aerospace, nuclear power, digital economy, biopharmaceuticals, and artificial intelligence.
Daniel Balazs, a research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, said the announcement reflected Paris’s “ambition to be a stabilizing force in the EU-China relationship”, noting that the EU’s broader goal is to maintain a constructive relationship with China despite repeated frictions.
“Good relations with France will ensure that China has friends in the EU when Brussels takes economic and political decisions that affect China’s interests,” Balazs said.
Tensions between China and Paris escalated last year after President Macron backed the European Union’s decision to impose tariffs on Chinese-made electric cars, prompting Beijing to retaliate by imposing minimum price requirements on French cognac makers.
Bloomberg reported Wednesday that Macron is expected to press Chinese leaders not to impose similar measures on French pork and dairy products, as the Chinese government considers these tariffs to counter taxes on EVs.
Mr Macron had also called on Brussels to respond with the toughest trade measures against China after Beijing restricted rare earth exports, raising concerns about supply shortages for European carmakers.
The bilateral meeting comes as Beijing is embroiled in a diplomatic spat with Japan over Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments suggesting that China’s invasion of Taiwan could draw a military response from Japan.
China did not name the democratically ruled island, but Macron said it agreed to the “one China policy” – a diplomatic term commonly used to indicate that Taiwan is part of China. The French government’s statement did not mention Taiwan as part of the discussion.
On Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrault that he hoped Paris would continue to “understand and support China’s legitimate position” and prevent Japan from “causing problems” over Taiwan.
Tiancheng Xu, senior economist at the Economist Intelligence Unit, said the meeting between Mr. Xi and Mr. Macron “provides a platform for top-level engagement, but whether the issues can be resolved is another matter.”
trade, ukraine, pandas
The main purpose of Macron’s visit was expected to be to address what he called “global imbalances,” including China’s overcapacity and Beijing’s dependence on exports, leading to global trade imbalances. France’s trade balance with China will be nearly 20 billion euros (approximately $23 billion) in 2024.
“Macron could argue for a partnership of equals with Xi, including potentially opening up a wider range of China’s markets to European companies and paving the way for joint ventures in Europe in less sensitive areas,” said Philippe Le Collet, senior foreign policy fellow at the New York-based Center for China Analysis.
The two presidents exchanged views on the Ukraine war, and Xi said China would “continue to play a constructive role in resolving the conflict and support European countries in promoting a balanced, effective and sustainable security framework.”
Mr. Macron has long urged Mr. Xi to use his influence with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.
“We hope that China will join our call and join our efforts to achieve a ceasefire as soon as possible, at least in the form of a moratorium on attacks targeting critical infrastructure,” Macron said in a statement.
CCA’s Le Collet said the visit would be a valuable opportunity to convey Paris’s views on Ukraine to the Chinese leadership, Russia’s “all-weather partner”, especially since the start of the war in 2022.
After formal talks in Beijing, the two leaders will head to the southwestern city of Chengdu, home to China’s giant panda breeding center. Last month, France returned two loaned pandas to a Chinese city for the first time in 13 years, and their arrival was hailed as a sign of progress in diplomatic relations.
The Chinese embassy has promised to send a new panda to France soon. President Xi emphasized the expansion of cultural exchanges between the two countries and said that China and France have agreed to a new panda conservation agreement.
—CNBC’s Charlotte Reid contributed to this article.
