Topic
At age 39, Emmanuel Macron became the youngest president in the history of France, dramatically reshaping the country's politics in the process. Macron served in Francois Hollande's government and later became the Minister of Economy. However, he resigned in 2016 and announced he would run for the presidency, thereupon founding a new centrist political movement called En Marche! As support for France's major political parties collapsed, Macron's outsider status became his greatest asset. As he emerged as the only remaining obstacle to the rise of Marine Le Pen and the far right, he managed to galvanise what remained of the establishment before sweeping to what had once seemed an impossible victory on May 17, 2017.
Talks on trade imbalances and Ukraine war await Chinese president as he first heads to France in pursuit of ‘pragmatic’ European policy, then Serbia and Hungary, before returning to host Vladimir Putin.
Besides countering China, France’s immediate interest is in exploiting New Caledonia’s nickel deposits as the EU fights Indonesia’s export ban.
- Chinese leader to embark on first European tour in five years, but the pandemic, Ukraine war and change in China policy have sent ties into spiral
- France wants Chinese investment in its electric vehicle sector while championing Brussels’ tougher trade measures against Beijing
President Xi Jinping’s European trip comes amid barrage of EU trade and competition tools largely targeting Chinese firms, including dramatic raids in the Netherlands and Poland.
During an interview with the Economist, Macron said “I’m not ruling anything out”, when asked if he stood by comments earlier this year about the potential to send Western troops to Ukraine.
After police questioned Depardieu on Monday, Paris prosecutor said the actor, 75, would face trial over assaults allegedly committed during filming in 2021.
One of Europe’s most hawkish leaders towards Beijing is confirmed to meet the Chinese president during his first trip to the continent in five years.
Europe must not become a vassal of the US, he said, as he outlined his vision for a more assertive EU on the global stage.
Analysts say China has long called for a ceasefire anyway, whereas any demand that it explicitly condemn Russia is likely to fail.
Security concerns are notably high for the ‘world first’ opening ceremony, which involves boats carrying athletes along the Seine in 100 barges.
Alexis Jandard, a two-time world championship medallist, fell on the diving board and crashed into the water in front of Macron at the opening early this month of the aquatics centre for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The French leader has fashioned himself into the continent’s de facto figurehead on foreign policy by taking a lead on confronting Russia and the war in Gaza.
Putin said investigators have not determined who ordered attack but it was necessary to ‘find out why the terrorists, after committing their crime, tried to flee to Ukraine’.
Announcement came after President Emmanuel Macron held emergency security meeting prompted by Friday’s attack at a Moscow concert venue that killed more than 130 people
US ambassador to UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield accused Russia and China of vetoing resolution for ‘petty’ reasons, simply because it was written by the US.
High fashion is a cornerstone of the French economy, but the lower-end segment is losing ground to Chinese mass producers.
Putin made his comments ahead of the March 15-17 presidential election that he is certain to win for another six years in power.
Ukraine has angrily rejected Pope Francis’s suggestion to negotiate with Russia two years after its invasion, vowing ‘never’ to surrender to Moscow
The move could make France the next European country to legalise euthanasia for the terminally ill.
The French president says he stands behind his controversial remarks about not ruling out sending Western troops to aid Kyiv.
Brigitte Macron’s youngest daughter, Tiphaine Auzière, is addressing the persistent rumours that have surrounded her family for years in a new interview published in late February
President Emmanuel Macron described the move as ‘French pride’ that had sent a ‘universal message’.
Amid strain over Ukraine war, China-US tension and trade rows, analyst says a potential Europe trip by Xi may help two sides reduce ‘misperceptions’.
France’s president wanted to create ‘strategic ambiguity’ by openly discussing the idea of sending Western troops to Ukraine, but he was so ambiguous that he sparked confusion and irritation among some allies.
France’s Emmanuel Macron raised the option of sending Western troops to Ukraine, but Germany, UK, Poland, others say they have no such plans The Kremlin says such a move would inevitably lead to conflict.
French President Emmanuel Macron opened the door to European nations sending troops to Ukraine, although he cautioned that there was no consensus at this stage.
Top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi meets French President Emmanuel Macron and his diplomatic adviser for talks in Paris.
The leader will meet German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin before flying to Paris.
Fears grow among European leaders that Donald Trump’s possible return to the White House might threaten Western solidarity against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
