Macron Offers Xi Cheese and Armagnac on Chilly Mountain Visit

Chinese president visits famous mountain pass in Pyrenees
French leader aims to drive message on trade and Ukraine

Emmanuel Macron and Xi Jinping watch folk dancers at the Tourmalet pass, in the Pyrenees, in France, on May 7.Photographer: Aurelien Morissard/AFP/Getty Images

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By Samy Adghirni

May 7, 2024 at 3:58 PM UTC

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On the second day of Xi Jinping’s visit to France, Emmanuel Macron ditched the gold-plated formalities of Paris’s Elysee Palace to take the Chinese president to the mountains where he spent his childhood holidays.

The two leaders had mainly stuck to their existing positions during Monday’s carefully choreographed talks in the French capital, and Macron was hoping that a more intimate setting would help him warm up Xi as he pushed for a reset of economic ties and help to resolve the war in Ukraine.