BEIJING, CHINA – DECEMBER 3: French President Emmanuel Macron (R) and Chinese President Xi Jinping walk during a state visit to the Great Hall of the People on December 3, 2025 in Beijing, China.
Adek Berry Pool | Getty Images News | Getty Images
China said it was open to importing more goods from France in exchange for a “fair, conducive environment” for Chinese companies in the European country, President Xi Jinping told his counterpart Emmanuel Macron at their meeting in Beijing on Thursday.
The French president began a three-day visit to China on Wednesday – his first trip to Beijing in more than two years – following rising tensions over a range of issues, including trade imbalances and the long-running war in Ukraine.
In a separate French government statement, Macron told Xi that the two countries must work together on the basis of “a balanced relationship” while calling on Beijing to help end the Russia-Ukraine war.
Macron said he welcomed Beijing’s “renewed willingness to facilitate access to the Chinese market for French products, particularly agricultural goods,” including wine, pork, poultry and beef, according to a Google translation of the statement in French.
The countries will work to create a framework that allows increased Chinese direct investment in Europe, particularly in France, where it will create more jobs, Macron said.
The two leaders also signed several agreements in the areas of energy, agriculture, education and the environment, according to an official report from Chinese state media, which did not elaborate on the agreed terms.
Xi also called for deepening bilateral cooperation in aerospace, nuclear energy, digital economy, biopharmaceuticals and artificial intelligence.
The reading reflects Paris’s “aspiration to be a stabilizing force in EU-China relations,” said Daniel Balazs, a research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, noting that the EU’s overarching goal is to maintain constructive relations with China despite recurring tensions.
“Good relations with France also ensure that China has friends within the EU when Brussels makes economic and political decisions that affect Chinese interests,” Balazs said.
Tensions between Beijing and Paris escalated last year when Macron supported the European Union’s decision to impose tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles, prompting Beijing to respond with minimum price requirements for French cognac makers.
Macron is expected to lobby the Chinese leader not to impose similar measures on French pork and dairy products, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, as Beijing has been weighing those tariffs in response to charges on electric vehicles.
Macron had also urged Brussels to respond with its toughest trade measures against China after Beijing restricted its exports of rare earths, sparking concerns about supply shortages for European carmakers.
The bilateral meeting comes as Beijing finds itself in a diplomatic row with Japan over Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s statement that signaled that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan could prompt a military response from Japan.
Without naming the democratically ruled island, China said Macron agreed to the “One China Policy” – a diplomatic term commonly used to describe Taiwan as 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 his French counterpart Jean-Noël Barrot that he hoped Paris would continue to “understand and support China’s legitimate stance” and prevent Japan from “stirring up unrest over Taiwan.”
The Xi-Macron meeting “provides a platform for engagement at the highest level.” [but] Whether the problems can be solved is another question,” said Tianchen Xu, senior economist at the Economist Intelligence Unit.
Trade, Ukraine, Panda
A key aim of Macron’s visit should be to address what he calls “global imbalances,” including overproduction in China and Beijing’s reliance on exports, which he says is leading to a global trade imbalance. France’s trade balance with China was nearly 20 billion euros (about $23 billion) in 2024.
“Macron can advocate for a partnership on an equal footing with Xi Jinping. This includes opening China’s larger market to European companies and perhaps preparing some joint ventures in Europe in not so sensitive areas,” said Philippe Le Corre, senior fellow for foreign policy at the New York-based Center for China Analysis.
The two presidents exchanged views on the Ukraine war, with Xi saying China will “continue to play a constructive role in resolving the conflict and support European nations in pushing for a balanced, effective and sustainable security framework.”
Macron has long urged Xi to use his influence over Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.
“I hope that China will join our call and our efforts to reach at least a ceasefire in the form of a moratorium on attacks on critical infrastructure as soon as possible,” Macron said in a statement.
This trip offers a rare opportunity to present Paris’ views on Ukraine to a Chinese leadership that has been Russia’s “all-weather partner,” especially since the war began in 2022, CCA’s Le Corre said.
After formal meetings in Beijing, the two leaders will travel to the southwestern city of Chengdu – home to China’s giant panda breeding center. Last month, France returned a borrowed pair of pandas to the Chinese city after 13 years, with their arrival hailed as a sign of improving diplomatic ties.
The Chinese embassy promised to send new pandas to France soon. Xi, emphasizing expanding cultural exchanges between the two countries, said China and France had agreed to a new agreement on panda conservation.
—CNBC’s Charlotte Reed contributed to this story.
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