TARBES: French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday was to host Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at one of his beloved childhood haunts in the Pyrenees mountains, seeking to press a message to Beijing not to support Moscow’s war against Ukraine and to accept fairer trade.
The first day of Xi’s state visit to France, his first to Europe since 2019, witnessed respectful but sometimes robust exchanges between the two leaders during a succession of talks on Monday.
Macron, joined initially by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, urged Xi not to allow the export of any technology that could be used by Moscow in its invasion of Ukraine and asked Beijing to do all it could to end the war.
Xi for his part warned the West not to “smear” Beijing over the conflict and also hit back at allegations that Chinese overcapacity was causing international trade imbalances.
The fresh mountain air at the village of Bagnere-de-Bigorre and the adjacent resort of La Mongie, as well as lunch accompanied by their spouses Peng Liyuan and Brigitte Macron, will allow both leaders to explore these issues in relative intimacy.
While born and brought up in the north of France, the young “Manu” spent numerous summer and winter vacations with his late maternal grandparents in the area just below the Col du Tourmalet, over two thousand metres above sea level and a legendary climb in the Tour de France.
Xi is likely to dine on local lamb, cheeses and wines in an environment the president hopes will help the two get to the heart of the most pressing problems.
Emmanuel Macron Personally Welcomes Xi
Hours after hosting a lavish state banquet for Xi in Paris Monday night, Macron personally welcomed him on arrival at Tarbes airport in southwest France.
