French President Emmanuel Macron (center) and his wife Brigitte Macron (right), along with Chinese President Xi Jinping (second from left) and his wife Peng Liyuan (left), visited the Dujiangyan Ruins on Friday (December 5). Dujiangyan has been inscribed on UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage List.

Chinese President Xi Jinping held an informal meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Chengdu on Friday and accompanied Macron to visit Dujiangyan. This rare high-level arrangement highlights Beijing's attention to this second-largest EU country in handling China-EU relations. Some analysts believe that while Macron received extraordinary courtesy from Beijing, the symbolic significance of the friendly exchanges outweighs France's practical gains.

Friday (December 5) was the last day of Macron's visit to China. His itinerary in Chengdu started with a morning run at Jincheng Lake Park early in the morning, attracting many onlookers. Local runners posted "encountering Macron" on social media, which became a trending topic on Weibo.

Later, Macron visited the Dujiangyan Irrigation Project together with Xi Jinping. According to Xinhua News Agency, upon their arrival, President Macron and his wife were warmly received by President Xi and Peng Liyuan. Xi welcomed Macron to the "Land of Abundance," stating, "Last year, you invited me to your hometown in the Hautes-Pyrénées department, and I believe this visit will further enrich your understanding of China."

Reports described that the couples of the two heads of state walked and talked along Yangong Path. When introducing the history and significance of Dujiangyan, Xi Jinping said that the construction process of the Dujiangyan Irrigation Project fully reflects the Chinese nation's spirit of self-improvement, fearlessness in the face of hardships, and courage to forge ahead. "The French nation also possesses an indomitable spirit. China and France should be better able to understand and respect each other than other countries."

The delegation also had tea at the scenic spot. The couples of the two heads of state sat down at Huaigu Pavilion, enjoyed tea by the water, and held in-depth discussions on global affairs. President Xi and his wife also invited President Macron and his wife to lunch for further in-depth exchanges.

At 4 p.m. on Friday, Macron posted a 45-second video of his visit to Dujiangyan on X, thanking China for the warm reception and stating that he had spent an "extraordinary time." The video shows President Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan waving goodbye to President Macron and his wife at the entrance of a teahouse.

When Macron arrived at Sichuan University, he was surrounded by students and received a star-like welcome.

Reuters pointed out that this arrangement is extremely rare. During U.S. President Donald Trump's historic visit to China shortly after taking office in 2017, Xi Jinping hosted a banquet for him at the Forbidden City in Beijing, but the itinerary was limited to China's capital.

Analysts believe that against the backdrop of complex China-EU relations, Macron originally intended to maintain dialogue, seek interests and balance during this visit, but the focus seemed to be on cultural and environmental cooperation, while deeper economic and political issues remained unresolved.

During their meeting in Beijing on Thursday (December 4), the two sides only signed 12 cooperation agreements covering areas such as aging population, nuclear energy, and giant panda protection, with no amounts disclosed. Bloomberg noted that apart from commitments to deepen cooperation in niche areas such as the export of dehydrated alfalfa to China, no major commercial agreements were reached.

Reuters analyzed that Xi Jinping is neither likely to commit to purchasing Airbus aircraft nor to relax restrictions on French exports of cognac and pork. The former would weaken China's negotiating leverage with the United States, while the latter would undermine Beijing's negotiating position when consulting with the EU on imposing tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles.

On the Ukraine issue, Beijing expressed support for peace but opposed "any irresponsible attempt to shift blame or slander others," referring to Western accusations that China is standing with Russia. This means that Macron also failed to bring any breakthrough results from China to Europe regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

However, France will welcome a new pair of giant pandas. The China Wildlife Conservation Association announced on Thursday that a new pair of giant pandas is scheduled to settle in France's ZooParc de Beauval in 2027.

Macron also demonstrated his popularity in Chengdu. During his visit to Sichuan University, he was surrounded by students and received a star-like welcome. In his speech, he called on China to reflect on its role in global affairs and refuted the narrative of "Western power decline." "Some people will tell you that Europe is old, that the wealthy G7 countries are arrogant, and that the West looks down on the Global South. But these are just narratives, made up stories."