Macron Adds a Personal Touch to His Diplomacy With China

Europe|Macron Adds a Personal Touch to His Diplomacy With China

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, who believes that a idiosyncratic interaction is the cardinal to diplomacy, lured President Xi Jinping of China to a 7,000-foot walk successful the Pyrenees connected Tuesday, expecting to amusement disconnected the sweeping views that had stamped his childhood, but alternatively uncovering dense fog and chaotic snowfall flurries.

It was a long, slippery roadworthy up the mountain, nether torrential rain, but that didn’t halt crowds of Chinese admirers with reddish flags and pennants from gathering successful astir each colony on the way, miraculously transposed to a distant country of southwestern France and seemingly azygous successful their enthusiasm.

Undeterred, but moving 2 hours late, Mr. Macron greeted Mr. Xi nether an umbrella astatine 1 of his favourite restaurants, “L’Auberge du Berger,” oregon the “Shepherd’s Stop,” wherever dancers successful colorful section formal twirled and jigged to the sounds of a flute, an accordion and a tom-tom.

Mr. Xi was impassive, but his wife, Peng Liyuan, smiled broadly and applauded.

Using the acquainted “tu” signifier to code Mr. Xi, 70, alternatively than the ceremonial “vous” that would person been much customary betwixt heads of state, Mr. Macron, 46, offered the Chinese person a yellowish jersey signed by past year’s Tour de France winner, Jonas Vingegaard, a Danish cyclist.

“I cognize however overmuch you emotion sport,” Mr. Macron said. Mr. Xi is known for his involvement successful soccer.

The Col du Tourmalet, wherever the leaders met, has mythical presumption successful the Tour de France; its steep and winding ascent is simply a terrible test. It is besides a spot beloved to Mr. Macron, who regularly came present from his location successful bluish France to enactment astatine the adjacent location of his maternal grandmother, Germaine Nogues, the subordinate of his household astir whom helium speaks astir effusively.