The French president is set to make a state visit to China from Wednesday to Friday, as disputes between Beijing and Paris continue to mount. China, which maintains its support for Moscow in the war in Ukraine, now accounts for nearly half of France's trade deficit.

The two leaders will discuss 'the conditions for a just and lasting peace,' said a French presidential official on Saturday.

The French president is set to make a state visit to China from Wednesday to Friday, as disputes between Beijing and Paris continue to mount. China, which maintains its support…