A NEW AGE FOR SINO-FRENCH RELATIONS

By+Yu+Lintao

On January 10， French President Emmanuel Macron wrapped up his first state visit to China， which began three days earlier in Xian， an ancient capital and a city rich in history and culture， in northwest Chinas Shaanxi Province.

Choosing Xian as the first stop of his trip was not merely a show of the French peoples appreciation for Chinese culture， even though many French leaders have visited the city in the past， including former President Jacques Chirac. Perhaps more remarkably， the city was once the eastern terminus of the ancient Silk Road.

In a speech delivered to an audience of academics， students and businesspeople during his stay in the city， the French president said Europe should take part in the Belt and Road Initiative and thus share in the benefits of a global trade network with China， evocative of the ancient routes of commerce which once connected Xian to Europe and beyond. Proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013， the Belt and Road Initiative aims to connect China by land and sea to the rest of Asia， Europe and Africa.

In a certain sense， the opening scene of Macrons trip to China set the tone for the later acts of his state visit， which made clear Frances willingness to play the leading role in promoting Sino-European cooperation. According to Feng Zhongping， Vice President of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations （CICIR）， given the citys iconic significance， Macrons starting of his China trip in Xian sent a powerful signal of his administrations intention to strengthen cooperation with China under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Facing east

Macrons China policy has been gaining momentum since he took office and during his campaign the presidential hopeful promised to further the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and France. On many occasions since becoming president too， Macron has expressed willingness to enhance coordination with China on international affairs. In their meeting at the G20 Summit in Hamburg last July， President Xi held talks with Macron， during which the two statesmen expressed their commitment to strengthening cooperation on both bilateral and multilateral issues.

During the latter half of 2017， frequent high-level visits were held between the two nations. The French foreign minister， finance minister and advisor to the president all visited China in quick succession while China sent Vice Premier Ma Kai as a special envoy of President Xi to France to attend the international climate summit hosted in Paris， reflecting the dynamic and free-flowing interaction which has come to characterize Sino-French bilateral ties.endprint

According to Zhang Lihua， a professor of French studies at Tsinghua University， the amity between China and France arises from the common interest and far-reaching consensus of the two countries on many issues and in many fields in light of the current international situation.

“For instance， China and France are both adherents of multi-polarization and multilateral cooperation in global governance. They also advocate safeguarding a multilateral international system with the UN at its core， strengthening the role of the G20 in global economic governance and maintaining a free and open global trading and investment system as well，” Zhang Lihua said in an interview with Beijing Review.

Against the backdrop of prevailing populism and anti-globalization in many regions of the world， China and Frances further embracing of each other is a both necessary and sensible move， said Zhang Lihua.

She added that China and France both ardently support the goals of recent world climate conferences in the field of environmental protection. As one of the most decisive parties concerning the global climate issue， Chinas cooperation is particularly important for the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

Despite Macrons efforts to prevent U.S. President Donald Trump from withdrawing from the Paris Agreement， he was ultimately unable to change Trumps mind. In contrast， China has been forthcoming in sticking to commitments regarding the issue and joining forces with other parties to address the challenge of climate change. Last December， with mutual support from each other， China and France sought to promote the implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change during the Paris international climate summit.

As a young and ambitious leader， Macron believes he has the power to reshape the role played by France in world affairs， and wants to transform the countrys image during his tenure. He has not only proposed reforms which aim to rejuvenate the European Union （EU） and enhance Frances leadership in Europe， but is also widely expected to revive Frances status as a major global power.

Zhang Ji， a researcher with Fudan University， believes that in light of Britains impending departure from the EU， Trumps inward-looking policies and Germanys current domestic political dilemma， Macron hopes for France to not only retake the mantle of leader in European affairs， but also play a critical role in developing broader Sino-European relations. While maintaining the amicable partnership with China characteristic of previous French administrations， it seems that Macron also wants to go a step further.endprint

Feng of the CICIR believes that in the present global context， no matter whether Macron is attempting to push forward domestic reform or improve Frances status in the international arena， enhancing SinoFrench cooperation is of great strategic importance for achieving the goals of his administration.

As for China， Feng claimed that given Frances predominant position in the EU， cooperation between China and France can inject new vigor into the China-EU partnership as well. Their cooperation will also contribute to the advancement of the Belt and Road Initiative， Feng added.

Strategic cooperation

Unlike Britain and Germany， France was in fact not one of the European countries to have shown an interest in the Belt and Road Initiative when it was first proposed in 2013. The Macron administration， however， has brought with it a new approach to the French leadership.

During his first telephone conversation with President Xi after winning the presidential election in May last year， Macron expressed his willingness to cooperate with China under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative. One week later， former French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin， as a representative of the French president， attended the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation hosted in Beijing. Last November， the inaugural Paris Forum on the Belt and Road was convened in the French capital， becoming the first major platform for dialogue on the initiative in Europe.

In his Xian speech， the French president said of the Belt and Road Initiative that“it represents a real opportunity to create bridges， through exchange， between countries and civilizations， just as the ancient silk routes once did，” adding that he thinks“its very important that Europe and China strengthen their collaboration on the initiative. France is ready to play a leading role in this.”

Professor Zhang Lihua believes that Macron attaches great importance to Frances third-party cooperation with China， especially in the African market. The Belt and Road Initiative will bring more opportunities for such cooperation between the two.

Besides his remarks in Xian imploring European countries to join the Belt and Road Initiative， Macron also stressed during his meeting with Xi in Beijing that the plan is of global significance and reiterated Frances wish to play an active role. Macron added that he hopes his visit to China can help to promote exchange and dialogue between the two countries in every field. Xi also called for the two countries to integrate their development strategies and seize new opportunities created by the Belt and Road Initiative. The two leaders agreed to enhance cooperation on climate， counter-terrorism and other issues as their respective nations assume more global responsibilities.endprint