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Key events
What to expect today
Lisa O’Carroll
Chinese President Xi JinpingMr. Donald Trump in the White House and the ongoing war in Russia.
Vladimir Putin visits Beijing in two weeks and Emmanuel Macron will implore Xi to use his influence in the Kremlin.
On Sunday, Macron said the Tribune newspaper in Paris that he did not want to “move away from China”, indicating efforts to avert a trade war involving potential tariffs on Chinese electric car sales in the EU and retaliatory threats of taxes on food and drink imports from EU that could affect France Cognac.
Here is the agenda for today:
10:30: Emmanuel Macron and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen meet
11:05: Trilateral with Macron, von der Leyen and Xi
15:00: Welcoming ceremony at the Home of the Disabled
16.05: Bilateral between Macron and Xi
17.00: Meeting of Chinese and French delegations
17.45: Press conference
18.20: Closing speeches by Macron and Xi
19.00: State dinner at the Elysée Palace
20.15: Si, Macron arrive with their wives for a photo
Human rights group calls on Macron to “determine the consequences” for China
Ahead of Xi’s visit to Paris, Human Rights Watch called on the French president, Emmanuel Macronto “firmly stand up for our rights in China”.
“President Macron needs to make it clear Xi Jinping that Beijing’s crimes against humanity come with consequences for China’s relations with France,” said Maya Wang, acting China director at Human Rights Watch.
“France’s silence and inaction on human rights would only encourage the Chinese government’s sense of impunity for its abuses, further fueling repression at home and abroad,” she said.
Human Rights Watch added:
Respect for human rights has seriously deteriorated under Xi Jinping. His government has committed crimes against humanity – including mass detention, forced labor and cultural persecution – against Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang, enacted draconian legislation that eroded Hong Kong’s freedoms, and stepped up repression of government critics across the country.
Xi Jinping arrives in France with a trade dispute over Ukraine and the EU high on the agenda
Lisa O’Carroll
Xi Jinping praised China’s ties with France as a model for the international community as he arrived in Paris amid threats of a trade war over Chinese electric cars and French cognac.
In his first visit to the EU in five years, the Chinese president will meet his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macronand the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyenwho will urge him to reduce trade imbalances and use his influence with Russia in relation to the war in Ukraine.
Ahead of the visit, Macron told French newspaper La Tribune that an update on relations was needed “because China it now has excess capacity in many areas and is exporting massively to Europe”.
In September 2023, the EU launched an investigation into whether to impose punitive duties to protect EU manufacturers against cheaper imports of Chinese electric vehicles (EVs), which it says benefit from government subsidies.
Macron will try to dissuade Xi from retaliating against the EV investigation, potentially with import tariffs on French cognac and agricultural goods.
The EU is also expected to raise suspicions that sanctions on exports for Russia are surrounded by Chinese companies trading with the neighbor.
Xi said in a statement released upon his arrival that ties between China and France were “a model for the international community of peaceful coexistence and profitable cooperation between countries with different social systems”.
Welcome to the blog
Good morning and welcome back to the European blog.
Today we will look at Xi Jinping’s visit to France and China’s relations with Europe.
Send comments and advice to lili.bayer@theguardian.com.
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