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Macron tries to charm X1 in the Pyrenees

The Straits Times

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May 09, 2024

LA MONGIE, France - French President Emmanuel Macron on May 7 hosted Chinese leader Xi Jinping for a high-altitude lunch at a childhood haunt in the Pyrenees mountains, pressing a message to Beijing not to support Russia's war against Ukraine and to accept fairer trade.

Macron tries to charm X1 in the Pyrenees

The first day of Mr Xi's state visit to France, his first to Europe since 2019, saw respectful but sometimes robust exchanges between the two men during a succession of talks on May 6.

Mr Macron, joined initially by European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, urged Mr Xi not to allow the export of any technology that could be used by Russia in its invasion of Ukraine and asked Beijing to do all it could to end the war.

Mr Xi, for his part, warned the West not to "smear" China over the conflict and also hit back at accusations that Chinese overcapacity was causing global trade imbalances.

Mr Macron welcomed Mr Xi to a mountain restaurant outside the village of Bagnere-de-Bigorre to explore these issues in relative privacy and enjoy local delicacies.

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