And in anticipation of Macron's visit, China and France have worked extensively on plans for greater cooperation in various fields. A series of high-level exchanges took place over the past three months, resulting in many positive outcomes.

State Councilor Yang Jiechi and the French President's Foreign Policy Advisor, Philippe Etienne, agreed to ramp up cooperation in trade, nuclear power and manufacturing during the latest round of the China-France Strategic Dialogue in December. Meanwhile, France's minister of Economy and Finance, Bruno Le Maire and his Chinese counterpart also agreed to ramp up cooperation in the field of global finance. During his visit to China last November, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian promised to strengthen cooperation in major projects, sports and student programs, as well as to commence talks under the Belt and Road Initiative.