2023 France–China Summit

Macron had visited China twice before, in January 2018 and November 2019. During his first visit, he announced a "comprehensive strategic partnership" between France and China and signed several agreements on trade, climate change, nuclear energy and culture. He also presented Xi with a horse named Vesuvius as a gift.[6] During his second visit, he attended the China International Import Expo in Shanghai and met with Xi in Beijing. He also invited Xi to visit France for the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 2024.[7] However, since then, the relations between China and France, as well as between China and the European Union, have been strained by several factors. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, which was first identified in China, led to Beijing effectively shutting its borders to travel and imposing strict quarantine measures on incoming visitors. This hampered the exchange of people and goods between China and other countries, including France.[8]

Macron and von der Leyen also raised the issue of human rights during their visit, amid growing international criticism of China's repression of ethnic minorities, political dissidents, and civil society activists. They expressed their concerns over the situation in Xinjiang, where the Chinese government has detained an estimated one million Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in re-education camps, subjected them to forced labor, surveillance, and genocide.[9] They also urged China to respect the autonomy and freedoms of Hong Kong, where Beijing has imposed a national security law that has been used to crack down on pro-democracy protests and media outlets.[10] Furthermore, they called for the release of several prominent individuals who have been imprisoned or persecuted for their peaceful activities, such as the Uyghur economist and Sakharov Prize winner Ilham Tohti, the Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai, and the Tibetan language activist Tashi Wangchuk.[11]

Macron and von der Leyen's stance on human rights was welcomed by several civil society groups and human rights organizations, who had urged them to make human rights a priority during their visit. Macron “must strongly denounce privately but also publicly the repression against Chinese activists and human rights advocates, Hong Kong’s people, Uyghurs and Tibetans,” France's Human Rights League President Patrick Baudouin said in a statement.[12] However, the Chinese government rejected any interference in its internal affairs and accused the Western countries of double standards and hypocrisy. Xi told Macron and von der Leyen that China is committed to protecting human rights according to its own national conditions and development stage, and that China opposes any attempts to politicize or weaponize human rights issues.[13]

French business leaders, including Airbus and Alstom officials, accompanied Macron to the summit in China.[14][15][16] Plans for a new Airbus assembly line in China were announced by Macron during the summit.[17]

• 2023 Brazil–China summit