EU chief Ursula von der Leyen invited to Xi Jinping-Emmanuel Macron summit in Paris next week

French President Emmanuel Macron has invited Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission chief, to a trilateral meeting with visiting Chinese leader Xi Jinping next week.
Brussels-based von der Leyen is considered one of Europe’s most hawkish leaders on China and is the architect of the bloc’s de-risking strategy towards Beijing.

Von der Leyen’s spokesman, Eric Mamer, confirmed she would be in Paris on May 6 at Macron’s invitation for a meeting with the Chinese president. For Xi, the trip will mark his first trip to Europe in five years.

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The commission chief accompanied Macron on his state visit to Beijing last April and was viewed as taking a tougher line with Xi and Premier Li Qiang than the French leader.