系級 : 中四A
姓名 : 朱凱莉
學號 : 04111159
時間 : 2019/03/25
標題 : Xi meets Macron as French president
seeks united EU front on China
內文 :
BEAULIEU-SUR-MER,
France: Chinese President Xi Jinping and his French counterpart Emmanuel
Macron met for dinner in the south of France on Sunday (Mar 24) ahead of
official talks with the host leader seeking to forge a united European front to
contend with Beijing's advances.
"Very happy
to welcome President Xi Jinping and his wife to France," Macron wrote in a
tweet. "This visit will strengthen our strategic partnership and affirm
the role of France, Europe and China towards a strong multi-lateralism."
Xi earlier arrived at the resort city of Nice accompanied by his wife Peng Liyuan to be welcomed by French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and an honour guard.
Prior to meeting
with Macron, Xi went to the nearby principality of Monaco, where he was
received by Prince Albert II and where a government spokesman said bilateral
talks would "address economic and environmental issues".
Xi, who has made a priority of establishing China as a global player, travelled from Italy, whose government became the first G7 state to sign up to his landmark new "Silk Road" infrastructure project, a massive undertaking to join Asia to Europe.
Washington and some EU states fear the huge project will give China too much sway. But Xi says it would be a two-way street of investment and trade.
Germany
criticised Rome over its participation in the new Silk Road project.
"In a world with giants like China, Russia or our partners in the United States, we can only survive if we are united as the EU. And if some countries believe that they can do clever business with the Chinese, then they will be surprised when they wake up and find themselves dependent," Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told Welt am Sonntag newspaper.
The EU's German
budget commissioner, Gunther Oettinger, told the Funke newspaper group that
Europe should ensure it retains its autonomy and sovereignty when dealing with
China.
He expressed
concern that already "infrastructure of strategic importance ... is no
longer in European but in Chinese hands.
French Finance
Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian had remarked on Friday that "Silk Road
cooperation must go "in both directions."
Amid tight
security, the Chinese and French first couples enjoyed a private dinner at
Beaulieu-sur-Mer, near Nice, overlooking the Mediterranean.
They were due to
have what a Chinese official termed "a deep exchange of views on
Sino-French, Sino-European relations and international and issues of mutual
interest."
Xi's official
visit to Paris on Monday will mark 55 years since Charles de Gaulle established
diplomatic relations with Beijing.
A series of
cooperation deals on nuclear power, aerospace and clean energy initiatives,
some involving lucrative contracts, are expected to be signed.
On Tuesday,
Macron and Xi will be joined by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and EU
Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker to explore "points of
convergence" ahead of an EU-China summit in Brussels next month.
As well as
addressing commercial cooperation and strategic issues with Xi, Macron has also
been urged to deal with the case of Chinese former Interpol head Meng Hongwei.
Meng's wife has
had no news of her husband since his arrest in China nearly six months ago and
it emerged Sunday she has written to Marcon asking him to bring up his
disappearance with Xi.
He is believed
to be facing corruption charges.
CHINA AS
EU 'RIVAL'
But Xi's visit
poses a particular challenge for Macron, who wants to deepen EU ties with China
while also pushing back against Beijing's growing global clout.
Europe's
distrust of Chinese telecom giant Huawei, which is poised to become the
dominant player in next-generation 5G mobile technology worldwide, is
emblematic of the increasingly rocky relationship.
Monaco, which
notably is eyeing a share of Chinese luxury tourism and has its own foreign
policy, only last year signed an accord with Huawei to make the principality
the first country entirely covered by the company's 5G mobile network by year
end.
Macron has
lauded the EU's "awakening" to the challenges posed by China, which
the bloc now labels a "rival" despite being Europe's biggest trading
partner.
"The
reality is that the world has changed significantly - China is not the
country it once was, and we are dealing with a very major partner," a
Macron aide said ahead of Xi's visit.
The US is
pressuring European allies to not use the Huawei technology, saying it creates
a security risk by potentially letting Beijing snoop on sensitive
communications.
But France has
not ruled out using Huawei gear.
Beijing has
accused Washington of trying to escalate President Donald Trump's trade battle
with China.
'REALITY
VERY DIFFERENT'
Despite the many
sources of friction, France wants to engage China as a closer partner as
Washington makes a pointed withdrawal from global affairs under Trump's
"America First" policy.
For example,
Macron may seek more Chinese support of the French-backed G5 Sahel force
fighting Islamist extremists in Western Africa.
China has been
investing heavily in a diplomatic offensive across Africa, promising to help
build infrastructure projects as part of the new Silk Road initiative.
Aides say Macron
will press Xi to ensure such projects are fair and explore the participation of
French companies amid allegations the deals could load African countries with
unsustainable debt.
心得:
中國國家主席習近平周日晚 （3月24日）抵達法國，未來兩天將與法國總統馬克龍和其他歐洲領導人會談。習近平訪法的目的之一是紀念中法從戴高樂時代延續至今的雙邊關係。外界預期法中兩國將簽署一連串合作協議，涵蓋核能發電、航太和潔淨能源倡議。
習近平訪問法國，對馬克龍而言是一項頗為矛盾的挑戰——一方面，馬克龍希望加深歐盟與中國的關係；另一方面，他也提出要抵禦中國日益增長的全球影響力。習近平上周到訪意大利期間，意大利決定加入中國的「一帶一路」倡議的消息就已在歐洲掀起軒然大波。中國和歐洲幾個大國密切交往背後，揭示出中歐關係在2019年開始顯露的新變化。
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