China's Xi visits Pyrenees mountains, in a personal gesture by France's Macron
TOURMALET PASS, France (AP) — France’s president is hosting China’s leader at a remote mountain pass in the Pyrenees on Tuesday for private meetings after a high-stakes state visit in Paris dominated by trade disputes and Russia’s war in Ukraine.
French President Emmanuel Macron made a point of inviting Chinese President Xi Jinping to the Tourmalet Pass near the Spanish border, where Macron spent time as a child visiting his grandmother. It is meant to be a reciprocal gesture after Xi took Macron last year to the residence of the governor of Guangdong province, where the Chinese president’s father once lived.
Snow coated nearby slopes after new snowfall overnight, and security was tightened around the area. The winding roads up to the pass were blocked by authorities Tuesday for dozens of kilometers (miles).
The mountain meetings come after a grandiose state visit by Xi on Monday that included a ceremonial welcome at the monument housing Napoleon’s tomb and a state dinner at the Elysee Palace with celebrities and magnates.
Xi is on a trip to Europe aimed at reinvigorating relations at a time of global tensions. He heads next to Serbia and Hungary.
Related articles
- THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Police arrested some 125 activists as they broke up a pro-Palestinian2024-05-08
Is taking a Nile river cruise in Egypt worth it? I filmed my five
It's perceived as being one of the most glamorous and romantic ways of seeing one of the world's mos2024-05-08From caves to lagoons and lost
Want to make your Easter bucket list a bit more egg-citing?Then hop along to one of the spots here,2024-05-08Dividend hero SAINT's manager on the best shares for income and growth
When it comes to tips on investing for income it's worth listening to the manager of an investment t2024-05-08Man dragged by bear following fatal car crash, Massachusetts state police say
HATFIELD, Mass. (AP) — A man who was dragged by a bear following a car crash was most likely dead at2024-05-08Shed of the Year 2024: We speak to one entrant who created his dream British boozer 'The Dirty Dog'
It's that time of year again when the nation celebrates one of the symbols of British eccentricity -2024-05-08
atest comment