00:00French President Emmanuel Macron has urged Chinese leader Xi Jinping to deepen cooperation
00:05between the two nations during his state visit to Beijing.
00:09Macron's visit, his fourth since taking office, comes as the EU seeks Beijing's help to end
00:15the war in Ukraine, while China looks for diplomatic gains amid US tariffs.
00:22Following talks, both leaders signed 12 cooperation agreements covering bilateral investment,
00:27nuclear energy and panda conservation, among others.
00:31But trade-dominated discussions, with the EU pushing for greater investment to reduce its trade deficit,
00:36which has surged nearly 60% since 2019.
00:40China, meanwhile, wants to ease trade tensions with the bloc over its heavily subsidized electric vehicle sector
00:45and position itself as a stable partner as global markets brace for recession risks linked to US tariffs.
00:52Macron arrived in Beijing just after meeting Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in Paris,
00:57with the US-brokered ceasefire efforts still in delicate stages.
01:01European leaders have repeatedly accused China of economically supporting Russia's war effort,
01:06allegations Beijing denies.
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