Amid trade disputes, Xi kicks off Europe tour after 5 years

PARIS, May 5

President Xi Jinping lauded China's ties with France as an international model on Sunday as he kicked off his Europe tour with Paris visit after five years against a backdrop of mounting trade disputes with the EU.

French President Emmanuel Macron is set to urge Xi to reduce trade imbalances and to use his influence with Russia over the war in Ukraine. China's President is due to meet Macron and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen on Monday.

Xi, who was welcomed in Paris by Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, said in a statement released on his arrival that ties between China and France were “a model for the international community of peaceful coexistence ”.

France is backing a EU probe into Chinese electric vehicle exports, and in January, Beijing opened a probe into French-made imports of brandy, a move widely seen as a tit-for-tat retaliation for EU probes. — Reuters

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