Macron presses Xi on ‘unsustainable’ trade imbalances

Urges Chinese President to step up efforts to end war in Ukraine

- JOE CASH & MICHEL ROSE

French President Emmanuel Macron urged Chinese leader Xi Jinping to boost cooperation on geopolitics, trade and the environment, as the European Union seeks China’s help in ending the war in Ukraine and Beijing looks for economic wins from US tariffs.

On his fourth state visit, Macron is walking a delicate tightrope, trying to reduce France’s massive trade deficit with China and secure industrial jobs at home to bolster his legacy, without antagonising the world’s second-largest economy. China, for its part, wants to ease trade frictions with the 27-strong EU over its heavily subsidised electric vehicle industry, while presenting itself as a more reliable market to the US for economies hit by President Donald Trump's tariffs.