Trade disagreements marked, this Monday, May 6, the start of a two-day state visit to France by Xi Jinping, who brushed aside European concerns in the face of the firmness displayed by Emmanuel Macron and the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.
If the three leaders, gathered together in the morning at the Elysée, pretended to want to move in the same direction on the subject of the war in Ukraine, the other major issue of the moment, they did not try to hide the tensions building up on trade. Emmanuel Macron thus explained that he wanted to raise “in all friendship and trust” the “concerns, to try to overcome them”, calling for “fair” trade rules.
Following a tripartite meeting with the two heads of state this morning, Ursula Von der Leyen insisted that the European Union “will not hesitate to take firm decisions” to “protect its economy and its security”. The President of the European Commission was present to display, as she did five years ago in the same place and last year in China, a united continental front on trade issues. She had previously warned that Europe could “not accept” the “unfair trade” caused by the influx of electric vehicles or Chinese steel manufactured thanks to “massive subsidies”.
French cognac, example of tensions
“The so-called ‘problem of China’s overcapacity’ does not exist,” Xi Jinping replied, estimating that “China’s new energy industry” on the contrary “made it possible to increase global supply and ‘relieve the pressure of global inflation’. Trade disputes are numerous and could lead to increases in customs taxes. Threatened to be caught between the American and Chinese economies, massively aided by public authorities, the European Union has in recent months increased investigations into Chinese state subsidies to several industrial sectors, particularly electric vehicles.
The French president recognized, in the newspaper La Tribune Sunday, that the Europeans were “not unanimous” on their strategy. A barely veiled dig at Germany, often accused of going it alone to preserve its car exports to the second largest economic power in the world. In Beijing, European measures are considered “protectionist”.
But, as a symbol of a desire not to inflame these trade tensions, according to a diplomatic source with AFP, China has finally decided not to apply customs duties against… French cognac . A product on which China intended to apply retaliatory measures in response to European measures.
On Ukraine, Macron welcomes Chinese “commitments”
This was another big issue of Xi Jinping’s visit to France: the war in Ukraine, and China’s ambiguous position on its support for Russia. “We respect the old ties that unite China and Russia,” explained Emmanuel Macron, and “in view of this complex history, we welcome the commitments of the Chinese authorities to refrain from selling any weapons, any aid to Moscow and to strictly control the export of dual-use goods” that could be used for military purposes.
Referring to “the war of aggression led by Russia against Ukraine”, Emmanuel Macron said he was keen to “maintain a close dialogue” with China, while Paris intends to take advantage of the arrival of Xi Jinping to ensure that Beijing does not switch to clear support for the Russian war effort. The international situation “requires this Euro-Chinese dialogue more than ever”, the French head of state said on Monday, while some of his opponents, such as the Socialist candidate for the June European elections Raphaël Glucksmann, criticize a “dictator” for “rolling out the red carpet” in an “obsequious” manner.
The French president also welcomed the “willingness” of his Chinese counterpart to “ask all stakeholders” in the various conflicts for “an Olympic truce” during the Paris Games this summer.
Xi Jinping calls not to “smear” his country over the war in Ukraine
For his part, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for his country not to be “smeared” on the Ukrainian issue, with Beijing playing a “positive role” in finding a peaceful solution to the war. “We oppose using the Ukrainian crisis to shift blame to others, smear a third country and trigger a new Cold War,” Xi Jinping said in a reference to Western criticism.
China is regularly criticized by the West, led by the United States, on the Ukrainian issue. Because if she calls for respect for the territorial integrity of all countries – including Ukraine – she has never publicly condemned Russia. “China is neither the origin of the crisis nor a party to it. However, we do not stand by indifferently to the misfortune of others. We have played a positive role in the search for peace from the beginning,” he said. assured Xi Jinping. However, the Chinese head of state will go after France to Serbia and Hungary, two countries that have remained close to Moscow, before probably receiving President Putin in China. After this first day, the French president will drive the point home this Tuesday, in the Pyrenees, during a more personal getaway with his Chinese counterpart.