French President Emmanuel Macron went out his way to woo Chinese leader Xi Jinping by gifting him a horse from the elite French Republic Guard on the first day of his state visit.
Macron is on a three-day tour of China and picked an 8-year old brown gelding named Vesuvius from the presidential cavalry corps, braving stringent Chinese quarantine checks to offer it to President Xi Jinping.
The choice of the gift, an ‘unprecedented diplomatic gesture’ according to the French presidency, was made after the Chinese president expressed his fascination for the 104 horsemen who escorted him during his last visit to Paris in 2014.
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron are pictured at the Museum of Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses in Xian, Shaanxi province, China
Macron and his wife Brigitte pose for a photo as they tour around Big Wild Goose Pagoda
It is the first time France has offered one of the elite cavalry corps’ horses and is also a response to China’s ‘panda diplomacy’, after Macron’s wife Brigitte became the godmother of a Chinese panda lent by Beijing to a zoo near Paris.
‘It mattered a lot for the president, even if it was very complicated to import a horse for sanitary reasons. It’s a symbol of French excellence,’ an Elysee official said.
Since his election last May, France’s youngest leader since Napoleon has shown his willingness to use symbols and history to win over his global counterparts.
Macron flattered Russian President Vladimir Putin in May with a meeting at the sumptuous palace of France’s former monarchy, built in Versailles by Louis XIV – the ‘Sun King’ – to symbolise absolute power.
He also invited U.S. President Donald Trump to watch a military parade on the grandest avenue of Paris on Bastille Day last July to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the U.S. entry into World War One.
Trump later said Macron was doing a ‘terrific job’.
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron are greeted by a monk at the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in the northern Chinese city of Xian
French President Emmanuel Macron went out his way to woo Chinese leader Xi Jinping by gifting him a horse from the elite French Republic Guard. Pictured:Emmanuel Macron shakes hands with a local elderly iman as his Brigitte looks on, during a visit to the Great Mosque of Xian
Macron launched his visit in Xian, the starting point of the ancient Silk Road, in a nod to his counterpart’s scheme to revive the famous trading route
Macron is on a three-day tour of China. Pictured: The French President poses with children as they are welcomed on the tarmac at Beijing’s Capital Airport
After Xian, Macron will travel on to Beijing along with his delegation which takes in some 60 business executives and institutions
Macron launched his visit in Xian, the starting point of the ancient Silk Road, in a nod to his counterpart’s scheme to revive the famous trading route.
He visited the northern city’s famous terracotta warriors along with his wife Brigitte before delivering a keynote speech on the future of Franco-Chinese relations.
The 8,000-man clay army, crafted around 250 BC for the tomb of China’s first emperor Qin Shihuang, is a symbol of ancient Chinese artistic and military sophistication in a country that proclaims itself a 5,000-year-old civilisation.
Macron’s first official visit to Asia marks a new stage for his diplomacy, which has so far been concentrated on Europe and Africa.
He plans to seek a ‘strategic partnership’ with Beijing on issues including terrorism and climate change, and make Xi an ally in implementing the Paris accord to fight climate change after the US pulled out of the deal.
After Xian, Macron will travel on to Beijing along with his delegation which takes in some 60 business executives and institutions.
In Xian, Macron also decided at the last minute to visit the Wild Goose Pagoda, a virtually unknown landmark in the West compared with the terracotta soldiers but well-known by Chinese people as a historic site for Buddhism.
The 40-year old French president is keen to gain more access for French companies to often protected Chinese markets and is travelling with a delegation of about 50 businessmen.
Macron invited U.S. President Donald Trump (pictured with Xi Jinping) to watch a military parade on the grandest avenue of Paris on Bastille Day last July to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the U.S. entry into World War One