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Ayman Ragab

In January 2024, France and the People’s Republic of China marked 60 years of diplomatic ties. But China-France relations have been complicated by the countries’ ambitions to be world leaders, and France’s desire to exert an independent foreign policy despite being an ally of the US.
Now Beijing has pinned its hopes on France, the first port of call on Xi’s three-country European tour, to push the European Union to adopt a more “positive and pragmatic” China policy amid heightened scrutiny over Chinese products and market access in recent months.


What is France’s role in the US-China rivalry?

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Month of diplomatic challenges for China’s Xi on EU and Russia fronts

News

China

Diplomacy

Politics

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan wave upon arrival at Orly airport, south of Paris, on Sunday. Photo: Reuters

French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal (right) walks alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping upon his arrival at Orly airport, south of Paris, France on Sunday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Police officers look on as an activist for a free Tibet tries to unfurl a banner to protest against the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to France, next to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Photo: AP

 Illustration: Brian Wang

French President Emmanuel Macron (second from left), his wife Brigitte Macron, Chinese President Xi Jinping (second from right) and his wife Peng Liyuan attend a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris in March 2019. Photo: AFP

Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron chat during a stroll through the Pine Garden in Guangzhou in southeastern China’s Guangdong province in April 2023. Photo: Xinhua

Ahead of Xi’s visit, Chinese ambassador to France Lu Shaye (pictured) said with France at the core of the EU, stable France-China relations would drive China-EU ties. Photo: Xinhua

Chinese President Xi arrived in France on Sunday to begin a closely watched three-nation tour as China seeks to improve relations with Europe


China-EU relations

China-France relations

Video | What is France’s role in the US-China rivalry?