SHANGHAI • French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in China yesterday to drum up new business deals, but under warning from his hosts to keep off thorny issues such as the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.
He began his second official trip to China in Shanghai, where he attended an international import fair against the backdrop of the United States-China trade war.
He was set to dine with President Xi Jinping before going to Beijing, where the two will hold more talks, with French officials saying Mr Macron will not shy away from "taboo" topics, including Hong Kong and the mass detention of Muslims in China's north-west Xinjiang region.
Human Rights Watch called on Mr Macron to publicly press Mr Xi to close "political education" camps in Xinjiang and respect Hong Kongers' rights to take part in politics.
Mr Zhu Jing, a European affairs official at the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said China has prepared the "friendliest and warmest welcome" for Mr Macron. But he said the two countries should have "constructive" dialogue on human rights and avoid "mutually criticising each other or politicising the issue".
Mr Zhu told reporters last week: "Hong Kong and Xinjiang are matters of China's internal affairs. It is not relevant to put them on the diplomatic agenda."
Hong Kong has been rocked by months of political unrest.
Mr Zhu also warned France against playing a "disruptive" role in the Indo-Pacific region or sending warships into Beijing-claimed territorial waters.
France angered China in April when a French frigate sailed through the Taiwan Strait.
Mr Macron's visit will focus on helping French companies strike new deals with the world's second-largest economy.
France's soft power will also be on display, with Mr Macron inaugurating an offshoot of the Centre Pompidou, the Paris modern art museum, in Shanghai's West Bund.
A French presidential adviser said French companies expected to come away with around 40 contracts in agriculture, tourism, health and other sectors in which France is traditionally strong.
Mr Macron will be Mr Xi's guest of honour at the second China International Import Expo in Shanghai today and the two leaders will have a private dinner with their wives the same night.
The French leader's meeting with the Chinese President will be their sixth in under three years, signalling the importance that both place on the relationship between China and Europe.
The two leaders have used previous meetings over the past two years to stress their commitment to multilateralism in the face of US President Donald Trump's "America First" brand of nationalism.
Mr Zhu said Sino-Franco dialogue is crucial at a time when "protectionism and unilateralism keep rising".
Professor Jean-Pierre Cabestan, who teaches political science at Hong Kong Baptist University, said the US tariff war is pushing China to seek closer ties with France and other European countries.
But, Prof Cabestan cautioned, "the Europeans would be naive to believe that they can join China against Trump".
Mr Macron has voiced concern over China's massive investments in central and eastern Europe and huge trade surplus with the European Union, warning that European "naivete" towards Beijing is over.
