French President Emmanuel Macron has embarked on a charm offensive on the second day of meetings with Chinese President Xi Jingping. Breaking with official protocol, Macron took his opposite number on a tour of the Pyrenees earlier today as he looked to forge a closer personal connection.
Leaving many of their aides and wider circle behind, Macron, and his wife Brigitte, entertained Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, with lunch high in the mountains. The two couples had taken separate flights from Paris before being whisked away by car up into the mist-cloaked Pyrenees.
After being entertained by traditional dancers performing in view of the snow-capped peaks, the two leaders enjoyed local hams, lamb, cheese and blueberry pie. Macron also used the opportunity to present Xi with a locally woven woolen blanket, a Tour de France jersey and armagnac from the south-west of France. Ironically, it’s brandies such as this that stand to be impacted by Chinese trade sanctions.
Macron has long had a history of wooing leaders with unorthodox tactics; in this latest attempt, Xi was left complementing the cheese and hams.
The unusual trip comes at a key point in talks. Among Macron’s core objectives, the French President is seeking to narrow the trade imbalance between France and China whilst negotiating better access for European firms to China and fewer subsidies for Chinese exporters.
So far, Xi has shown little appetite for making concessions; however, the French camp will be hoping that this one-on-one in the mountains where Macron’s maternal grandmother was born could yet soften the Chinese stance.
After being entertained by traditional dancers performing in view of the snow-capped peaks, the two leaders enjoyed local hams, lamb, cheese and blueberry pie. Macron also used the opportunity to present Xi with a locally woven woolen blanket, a Tour de France jersey and armagnac from the south-west of France. Ironically, it’s brandies such as this that stand to be impacted by Chinese trade sanctions.
Macron has long had a history of wooing leaders with unorthodox tactics; in this latest attempt, Xi was left complementing the cheese and hams.
The unusual trip comes at a key point in talks. Among Macron’s core objectives, the French President is seeking to narrow the trade imbalance between France and China whilst negotiating better access for European firms to China and fewer subsidies for Chinese exporters.
So far, Xi has shown little appetite for making concessions; however, the French camp will be hoping that this one-on-one in the mountains where Macron’s maternal grandmother was born could yet soften the Chinese stance.
Source: Reuters
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