France's Macron set for 4th state visit to China to boost bilateral ties amid global challenges

ISTANBUL

French President Emmanuel Macron will pay a state visit to China to develop ties "under new circumstances," the Foreign Ministry in Beijing announced on Monday.

The three-day visit, beginning Wednesday, comes at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Foreign Ministry in Beijing said in a statement.

It would be Macron's fourth state visit to China, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said.

Last year, Xi visited France on a state visit commemorating 60 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries, which have developed into “comprehensive strategic partners” with bilateral trade reaching approximately $80 billion.

The Chinese president will hold talks with Macron to “jointly guide the development of bilateral relationship under new circumstances and have in-depth exchange of views on major international and regional hot spot issues,” Lin told reporters in Beijing.



Macron's trip to Beijing comes amid a US push to end the war in Ukraine, Trump tariffs, as well as several trade issues between China and the EU, where France is the second-largest economy after Germany.

Xi spoke to Macron in May, when he said Beijing supports the EU with more strategic autonomy.

"China always views Europe as an independent pole in a multipolar world, and supports an EU enjoying more strategic autonomy," Xi had said.

Lin, the ministry spokesman, said Monday that China-France relations have “precious history, unique values, and an important mission,” and the two sides have “fruitful and practical cooperation and effective coordination on multilateral affairs.”

Amid the “fluid and turbulent international situation,” Lin called for stepping up strategic communication and deepening practical cooperation between the two sides.