French President Emmanuel Macron held a phone conversation with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, Elysee Palace announced on Tuesday. This is the first interaction of the two leaders since Australia moved away from a military contract with France in favor of the United States and the United Kingdom, forming the AUKUS alliance.
President Xi stated that France is right to be advocating for the strategic autonomy of the European Union and stressed that maintaining positive relations between China and France will instill global stability. The leaders also agreed to cooperate on strategic industries, such as the agro-food sector.
Additionally, the two presidents discussed the situation in Afghanistan, during which Macron insisted that the Taliban must commit to fighting against terrorism and respecting human rights, in particular those of women.
