French President Macron concludes China trip with cultural stops in Chengdu, visiting pandas and table tennis stars after Beijing talks on Ukraine and trade.
CHENGDU: French President Emmanuel Macron concluded his state visit to China on Friday with a lighter cultural programme in the southwestern city of Chengdu.
The agenda marked a contrast to Thursday’s discussions in Beijing with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, which focused on the war in Ukraine and trade imbalances.
Macron and his wife Brigitte met the Chinese presidential couple at Mount Qingcheng, a site featuring an ancient dam and irrigation system.
The French president said he was “very touched” by the informal gesture, following his hosting of Xi in the French Pyrenees in May 2024.
He described the setting as a sign of mutual trust and a desire to “act together” amid rising international tensions.
Brigitte Macron visited the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, home to two pandas recently returned from France.
There she met Yuan Meng, a panda born in France in 2017 for whom she is “Godmother”, and who arrived in China in 2023.
China uses panda loans to zoos as diplomatic tools to foster international friendships.
President Macron met French table tennis stars Alexis and Felix Lebrun, who are in China for the Mixed Team Table Tennis World Cup.
The brothers were stars of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
On Thursday, Macron urged Xi Jinping to help end the war in Ukraine and address trade imbalances favouring China.
China calls for peace talks and respect for territorial integrity but has not condemned Russia’s 2022 invasion.
Western governments accuse Beijing of supporting Russia’s war effort with military components, which China denies.
Xi Jinping expressed readiness to “increase reciprocal investments” for a “fair trading environment”, following a related letter of intent signed on Thursday. – AFP
