XI receives warm welcome in Paris amid tensions on trade and Russia

Chinese leader says Sino-French ties have set example of peaceful coexistence

- Jonathan Eyal

Chinese President Xi Jinping received a lavish reception in France at the start of his first European visit since the pandemic.

He was met at Orly airport in Paris on May 5 by French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal - an honour the Chinese did not similarly bestow on French President Emmanuel Macron on his visit to China a year ago.

Other gestures of mutual friendship abounded on Mr Xi's two-day trip to France.

The state dinner in Paris held at the end of his first day was designed to commemorate 60 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between France and the People's Republic of China.

"In these past 60 years, Sino-French relations have always been at the forefront of China's relations with Western countries and have set an example of peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation among countries with different social systems for the world to see," Mr Xi said upon his arrival at Orly airport.

After the talks in the French capital, the Macron and Xi presidential couples spent the second day of the Chinese leader's visit in the Hautes-Pyrenees, a region of France particularly dear to Mr Macron, who spent his childhood there, and where his cherished grandmother is buried.

This highly personal touch is a like-for-like match for Mr Xi's friendly gesture in April 2023, when the Chinese leader welcomed the visiting French President with a tea ceremony in Guangzhou, held in the former residence of Mr Xi Jinping's father, who was governor of Guangdong province.

Yet both the Chinese and the French leaders also dropped subtle hints at other, more troubled aspects of their relationship.

The French President has gone to great lengths to signal to Mr Xi that France is not ready to break European unity in return for any Chinese political or trade concessions.