Macron's visit to lead ties into new phase

French President Emmanuel Macron's first visit to China is expected to boost commercial ties and deepen economic cooperation between the two sides. During his state visit from Monday to Wednesday, Macron will also seek to expand and strike a balance in bilateral trade.

Despite being important trade partners, Beijing and Paris have found it relatively difficult to expand their commercial and economic ties because of the long-existing bilateral trade structure, which mainly relies on nuclear energy, high-speed railway and the aerospace sector, particularly after the European Union debt crisis broke out and, as a result, the French economy slowed down.

China-France cooperation has made some remarkable achievements, although within the EU, Germany is China's largest trade partner and biggest investment destination. For France, on the other hand, China is the seventh-largest source of foreign investment. Yet this trade imbalance enhances the potential for expanding Sino-France trade and cooperation.