French president Emmanuel Macron was greeted by Chinese president Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People as he began a three-day visit to China.
Macron and his wife Brigitte were welcomed at the airport by Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi before continuing to a scheduled visit to the Qianlong Garden in the Forbidden City.
The visit takes place as France prepares to host the 2026 G7 summit and China readies to chair the APEC forum, amid ongoing EU concerns over a significant trade deficit with China.