Chinese President Xi Jinping has landed in France for a controversial state visit in which French leader Emmanuel Macron is expected to push his counterpart to use his influence on Putin to move towards the end of the war in Ukraine.
Xi and his wife his wife Peng Liyuan, landed at Paris Orly airport on Sunday afternoon and were welcomed by Prime Minister Gabriel Attal.
Xi is to hold a day of talks in Paris on Monday, also including EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, followed by a state banquet hosted by Macron.
Macron will then on Tuesday take Xi to an area of the Pyrenees mountains that he used to visit as a boy for a day of less public and more intimate talks.
A key priority of Macron will be to warn Xi of the danger of backing Russia in its invasion of Ukraine, with Western officials concerned Moscowis already using …