French president denounces economic protectionism of US

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French President Francois Hollande on Friday denounced the economic protectionism repeated several times by his new American counterpart Donald Trump, local media reported.

Hollande made the remarks during a visit to a company in Gérardmer, northeastern France, French television channel BFMTV reported.

French President Francois Hollande delivers a speech during a visit to Garnier-Thiebaut, manufacturer and distributor of textile in Gérardmer on January 20, 2017. /CFP Photo

"It is not possible or desirable to want to isolate oneself from the world economy," Hollande said, a few hours before Trump's inauguration.

Hollande recalled that negotiations on a free trade agreement between the US and the European Union were "for the moment suspended, finally, in any case, postponed," according to the report.

French President Francois Hollande jokes with Paul de Montclos, director of the Garnier Thiebaut, manufacturer and distributor of textile in Gérardmer on January 20, 2017. /CFP Photo ‍

"For France, it was not possible to have commercial exchanges if there was not recognition of the origin of products, whether agricultural, industrial or cultural," Hollande stressed.

"We must not imagine France close to the rest of the world," the French president was quoted as saying.

(With inputs from Reuters)

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