Speaking on Friday, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna reaffirmed France’s commitment to communication with China following Beijing’s outrage over an EU anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese-made electric vehicles, which was supported by Paris.
The goal of Colonna’s visit to the Chinese capital was to promote cross-border contacts between visitors and students from both nations. However, trade concerns following the EV investigation—which Beijing has denounced as “protectionist”—threaten to eclipse this goal.
After their June meeting in Paris, Colonna told China’s Premier Li Qiang, “We are really committed to dialogue with China,” and she was “honoured” and “happy” to see him.
Reiterating that she was “honoured” to have been welcomed by Li, Colonna said on X, the platform that was once known as Twitter.
“With China, we are working to find answers to global climate, biodiversity and debt challenges, and to deepen and rebalance our economic relationship,” she wrote.
Colonna’s trip precedes a visit by the European Commission and Council presidents, Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel, to Beijing in early December for the first in-person summit with President Xi Jinping in four years, after China-EU relations nosedived during the pandemic.
European officials have repeatedly vowed to reduce economic dependencies on China in critical sectors – otherwise known as “de-risking” – in the face of what the G7 calls China’s “economic coercion“.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who met with Xi in China earlier this year, has argued the EU should stop being naive and demand a level playing field with countries like China, and had been pushing the European Commission behind the scenes to launch the probe.
China is France’s third-largest trade partner, but French and other European firms are deeply concerned about China’s vast trade imbalance with the EU, its opaque legislation on cross-border data transfers and cheap Chinese EVs flooding the European market, threatening domestic carmakers.
France is also concerned about Chinese attempts to force French cosmetics companies to share manufacturing secrets with Chinese parties.
France is China’s top source of cosmetics and wine imports, according to China’s customs agency, with French luxury titans such as LMVH (LVMH.PA) particularly dependent on Chinese consumers. The lack of a strong rebound in luxury demand following China’s post-pandemic re-opening has spooked investors.
Xi insisted that China welcomes investment from French firms in a telephone call on Monday with Macron, who urged fair treatment for foreign companies in China.
The Chinese premier, in his meeting with Colonna, took an upbeat stance on broader bilateral ties.
“Under the strategic leadership of President Xi Jinping and President Macron, the relationship between China and France has been developing better and better in all aspects since this year,” Li said.
“Next year will be the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France, and both of us are sustaining our efforts in the hope that the 60th year would see a big development and a big breakthrough.”
