China said it was open to importing more goods from France in exchange for a “fair, conducive environment” for Chinese businesses in the European nation, President Xi Jinping told his counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Thursday as they met in Beijing.
The French president kicked off a 3-day visit to China on Wednesday — his first trip to Beijing in more than two years — on the heels of growing frictions over a range of topics including trade imbalance and the long-running war in Ukraine.
In a separate readout from the French government, Macron told Xi that the two countries must work together based on “a balanced relationship,” while urging Beijing to help end the Russia-Ukraine war.
Macron said he welcomed Beijing’s “renewed willingness to facilitate access to the Chinese market for French products, particularly agricultural goods,” including wine, pork, poultry and beef, according to a Google translation of the statement in French.
The countries will work toward establishing a framework that allows for increased Chinese direct investment in Europe, particularly in France, where it will create more jobs, Macron said.
