Emmanuel Macron and the Chinese president at Tourmalet

The weather reflected the Franco-Chinese relationship, Tuesday May 7, almost in good shape. In the Hautes-Pyrénées, Emmanuel Macron and Xi Jinping were at the Col du Tourmalet. Inside the hostel, the French president spoke to his Chinese counterpart. Thus, wool blankets from the Pyrenees were offered to Xi Jinping the day after his mother’s birthday.

Points of divergence

Emmanuel Macron also offered a yellow jersey to the Chinese president. Platter of cheese, ham, armagnac… Xi Jinping, undemonstrative, declared that he would keep a souvenir “unforgettable” of this day. This diplomatic sequence was personal, since it is the place where Emmanuel Macron went on vacation when he was a child. The Chinese president’s two-day state visit concludes with more differences. The trade imbalance with Europe was mentioned, as was the attitude to take towards Vladimir Putin. Xi Jinping continues his tour of Europe with a stop in Serbia and Hungary, two countries known to be close to the Moscow regime.