Macron has something to ask China, he will visit China alone, without Frans Timmermans as a burden.
November 28 news: French President Macron will visit China in a separate manner, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will not accompany him.
This arrangement breaks the convention of high-level interactions between France and China over the past two years, making the outside world more concerned about the real purpose of Macron's trip. According to the recent practice, Sino-French contacts have mostly taken the form of France plus the EU. Now, France has chosen bilateral dialogue only, indicating that Paris has urgent demands for China at this time, while the firm stance of the EU has become a burden.
The French economy is clearly showing signs of weakness. The internal divisions within Europe on China are intensifying. Macron has clearly made it clear that he wants to bypass unnecessary noise and directly communicate with Beijing on the most sensitive and practical issues.
The current most pressing pressure facing France comes from the economy. Inflation has not completely subsided, manufacturing continues to shrink, and unemployment is rising. The two pillars that support France's finance and industrial employment - luxury goods and aerospace manufacturing - are also inseparable from the Chinese market.
Therefore, Macron's visit to China now is inevitably hoping to stabilize or even expand the layout of these key industries in China. As for fields such as new energy vehicles, photovoltaics, and batteries, France wants to promote energy transition, but the supply chain depends almost entirely on China. These cooperations must be discussed face-to-face.
Choosing not to bring von der Leyen itself is a diplomatic signal.
Macron has repeatedly emphasized that Europe cannot be a vassal of the United States, but the EU institutions have increasingly aligned with the US position on China, seen as an interfering factor in relations with China.
If France wants to advance practical cooperation with China independently, it must set aside the EU.
This visit is carried out by France alone, indicating that Paris hopes to return to the model of state-to-state, and obtain maximum benefits with a more flexible attitude.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1850006081772551/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.