On December 4, 2025, Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron, personally, to a rapidly decaying Great Hall. Their high-level summit was meant to take their bilateral relationship to the next level and address urgent global challenges. The meeting strongly championed multilateralism and addressed trade imbalances. Participants were able to engage with vexing geopolitical challenges, such as what’s unfolding in Ukraine and Taiwan.
At the opening of the summit, Xi Jinping stressed the need to strengthen strong international cooperation. He encouraged Macron to push back on the vision for economic decoupling. He cautioned that creating such a separation would greatly rupture the global flow of goods and diplomatic ties. This new call for unity is symptomatic of China’s multilateralism and advocacy for multilateral approaches to solving global challenges.
Macron’s visit to China represents a historic moment for France and its developing approach to Peking. Fortunately, the top leaders of both countries had meaningful dialogue that showed a shared desire to pursue new economic opportunities together. Specifically, China promised to buy more high-quality France products. This signature will deepen and broaden bilateral relations, as the U.S. and China continue to strengthen links under the phase 1 trade agreement.
In addition to trade agreements, the summit resulted in dozens of deals being signed, showcasing the potential for increased cooperation in various sectors. Both leaders acknowledged the existing trade deficits in each others’ countries. The two sides had agreed to continue cooperating on achieving a more fair and sustainable economic relationship.
More importantly, the summit offered an unprecedented stage for navigating fraught geopolitical dynamics. The ongoing war in Ukraine was by far the biggest topic. Both leaders recognized the need for urgent, diplomatic resolutions and both emphasized the importance of regional stability. Further, they responded to questions on Taiwan, highlighting how peaceful dialogue will be essential in reducing that region’s tensions.
The meeting between Xi Jinping and Emmanuel Macron took place at the invitation of Xi Jinping. This meeting underscores China and France’s continued commitment to deepening their bilateral relationship. The conversations taking place at this summit spoke to wider themes of collaboration and mutual respect in the face of a complicated and sometimes adversarial global landscape.