2023 France–China Summit

The 2023 France–China summit was a three-day state visit by Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, to China from April 5 to 7, 2023. It was Macron's first visit to China since the COVID-19 pandemic and his third since taking office in 2017. He was accompanied by a delegation of more than 50 CEOs and met with members of the French business community in China. He also met with Xi Jinping, the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and President of China, and Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, to discuss various issues. By recalling the solid foundation of China-France relations and the friendship between the two peoples, the two heads of state had an in-depth exchange of views on bilateral relations, China-EU relations and major international and regional issues, especially the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine and China's potential role as a mediator between Russia and the West. The visit was seen as an attempt to "reconnect" with China after three years of its zero-Covid policy and despite Beijing's increasing benevolence to Russia in the context of the Russo-Ukrainian war.