Pandas and ping-pong: Macron ending China visit on lighter note

Chengdu, China: An ancient dam, pandas and ping pong: French leader Emmanuel Macron concluded his fourth state visit to China on Friday, striking a mo...

Chengdu, China: An ancient dam, pandas and ping-pong: French leader Emmanuel Macron concluded his fourth state visit to China on Friday, striking a more relaxed note in the city of Chengdu after tough discussions on Ukraine and trade with his counterpart Xi Jinping a day earlier.

Far from the imposing Great Hall of the People in Beijing where the two leaders held talks, Xi and First Lady Peng Liyuan showed Macron and his wife Brigitte around the centuries-old Dujiangyan Dam, a World Heritage Site set against the mountainous landscape of Sichuan province in the centre of China.

Macron, who was earlier filmed going for a morning jog near a lake alongside his security detail, was told through an interpreter about the ancient irrigation system, which dates back to the third century BC and continues to provide water to the Sichuan Basin plain.

The French president said he was "very touched" by the gesture, a departure from official protocol. He had previously hosted Xi in the Pyrenees -- where he had spent time as a child -- in May 2024.

Macron said the trip was a sign of mutual trust and a desire to "act together" at a time when international tensions are rising and trade imbalances are widening to China's advantage.