CHINA’S President Xi Jinping visited the French presidential palace today at the start of a two-day state visit that is expected to focus on trade and the war in Ukraine.

In Paris, President Xi first joined French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen at a meeting meant to address broader EU concerns.

Mr Macron said in his introductory remarks that the meeting would first address trade issues and how to ensure “fair competition,” then the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.