The French president has landed in Beijing for his first post-Covid visit. Emmanuel Macron is accompanied by the European Commission president, who last week went on the offensive over unfair trade practices and Chinese backing of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Will Ursula von der Leyen speak for other recent EU visitors?
German and Spanish leaders were much more soft spoken. Can the 27 reconcile their views at a crucial moment? For France, it's quite a diplomatic tightrope. The French are NATO members with overseas territories and security interests that run rival to China in the Pacific. But they also want to redress a growing trade deficit with Beijing.
Produced by Alessandro Xenos, Maya Yataghene, Meiqi An, Juliette Laurain and Guillaume Gougeon
