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FRENCH President Emmanuel Macron is scheduled to embark on his fourth state visit to China this week, as Europe navigates the delicate challenge of managing economic dependence on Beijing while responding to growing trade and security pressures.
Reuters, on Tuesday, cited analysts saying the trip underscores the EU’s broader struggle to maintain strategic leverage over the world’s second-largest economy amid global trade turbulence.
Macron will begin his visit with a symbolic tour of Beijing’s Forbidden City on Wednesday, before meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday in the capital and again on Friday in Chengdu, southwestern Sichuan province.
The visit follows European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s tense July trip to Beijing, when she described EU-China relations as reaching an “inflection point.”
Noah Barkin, a China analyst at Rhodium Group, noted the diplomatic tightrope Macron must walk.
“He must make clear to China's leadership that Europe will respond to growing economic and security threats from Beijing, while preventing an escalation of tensions that leads to a full-blown trade war and diplomatic breakdown. This is not an easy message to deliver,” Barkin said.
European concerns have intensified as low-cost Chinese exports, particularly in the steel sector following restricted access to the U.S. market, strain the continent’s industries.
Beijing’s growing dominance in electric vehicles and rare earths processing also threatens critical European supply chains, heightening anxieties over technological dependence.
Ahead of Macron’s visit, French advisers signalled that the president will push for a rebalancing of trade dynamics, urging China to boost domestic consumption while ensuring that European companies gain equitable access to Chinese innovations.
France has also supported a European Commission initiative to raise tariffs on Chinese electric vehicle imports and recently concluded a protracted dispute over brandy imports, reflecting the broader tensions in Franco-Chinese trade relations.
Despite Airbus opening a new assembly line in China, industry sources suggest that Macron is unlikely to secure a long-anticipated order of up to 500 aircraft during the visit, which could otherwise strengthen Beijing’s leverage over Washington in ongoing aerospace negotiations.
Barkin stressed the importance of disciplined messaging, recalling Macron’s 2023 remarks on Taiwan that sparked backlash in the United States.
“Macron cannot allow himself to go rogue as in 2023. There is much more at stake for France and for Europe,” he said. French officials indicate that Macron will maintain a careful stance on Taiwan and urge China to avoid escalation, reflecting the broader EU goal of balancing economic engagement with strategic caution.
Macron’s China visit highlights the growing challenge for European leaders: securing economic opportunities while navigating the geopolitical complexities of a rapidly asserting China, ensuring that Europe retains both commercial access and diplomatic influence. - December 2, 2025
