Macron considers inviting Xi Jinping to next year's G7 summit - Bloomberg
Kyiv • UNN
French President Emmanuel Macron is considering inviting Chinese leader Xi Jinping to the G7 summit in 2026, a move that could be a bold diplomatic step. The idea has been discussed with some allies, and Macron may visit China in December.
French President Emmanuel Macron is considering inviting Chinese leader Xi Jinping to the Group of Seven summit in France in 2026, an idea that has been discussed with some allies, Bloomberg reports, citing sources familiar with the situation, writes UNN.
Details
This comes as the French leader is considering a trip to China in December, sources said. In response to a request for comment, representatives of the Élysée Palace said that France seeks engagement with major developing countries willing to help address global imbalances.
"Inviting Xi Jinping to the summit in Evian next year would be a bold move by Macron, whose government is in a difficult position at home, and whose main remaining trump card is to play the role of a great statesman on the world stage," the publication writes. With the G7 losing its relevance and the US ignoring the Group of Twenty this month, Macron is reportedly betting that he can revise the informal community, which is dominated by Europeans and lacks players with whom Trump wants to interact and for whom he is willing to come to the meeting.
The host of the Group of Seven usually invites guests to separate parts of the leaders' meeting — in 2019, Macron surprised leaders with the appearance of then-Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif — but these places are usually reserved for countries, such as Australia, that are more aligned with G7 democracies.
In recent years, G7 discussions, as indicated, have increasingly focused on how to manage China's growing influence, including sessions dedicated to protecting supply chains from disruptions by China and countering Russia's war against Ukraine, where G7 countries see Beijing as key. This means that a tense discussion is likely to arise if Macron manages to pull off his "diplomatic coup," the publication writes.
Indeed, it is unclear whether the Chinese leader would accept such an invitation, some sources said, or whether other G7 members would be open to the move.
Tensions between China and G7 countries have periodically escalated this year after Donald Trump threatened to impose high tariffs on Chinese exporters, and Beijing responded by restricting the supply of critical components not only to the US but also to Europe. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul canceled a trip to China at the last minute last month because his counterparts refused to confirm meetings.
"French officials have cautiously raised the idea with German counterparts, and Berlin generally supports it," a source familiar with the situation said.
As geopolitical rivalry between Washington and Beijing intensifies, European countries are fighting for their significance and trying to create leverage to protect their interests, the publication notes. The G7 format itself, the publication writes, "is a relic of the Cold War, which emerged long before the appearance of rivals such as China or India, which challenged the economic dominance of the US and its allies."
While this does not reflect the distribution of global economic power in 2026, it gives Europeans a platform to influence events. In 2019, Macron fully utilized this platform, and given that his second and final term expires in 2027, there are early signs that he may be planning to do so again next year, the publication notes.