Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, leader of the right-wing Debout la France (France Arise) has criticised Emmanuel Macron for inviting Ursula von der Leyen to meet Chinese president Xi Jinping.
French right-wing spokesman Dupont-Aignan wrote on X:
Shame! Emmanuel Macron decided to invite Ursula von der Leyen to the start of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to France. While the German Chancellor met him alone, the President of the Republic is once again making fools of us in the eyes of the world.
Meanwhile, Xi Jinping, who was welcomed to Paris by Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, said in a statement issued upon his arrival that ties between China and France are “a model of peaceful coexistence and mutually beneficial co-operation between countries with different social systems for the international community”.
In a separate article published in the French daily Le Figaro, the Chinese president said he was coming to France with three messages: Beijing intends to open “new perspectives” in its relations with France; to open “even wider” to the world; and to maintain world peace and stability.
Xi Jinping’s visit to Europe is his first since 2019, and the Chinese leader will also visit Serbia and Hungary.
