China and France: Talking Trade, Pandas, and Peace

China and France recently had a big talk in Beijing. The main topic? Trade. China said it would buy more stuff from France if France makes it easier for Chinese companies to do business there. This is important because there's been some tension lately. France has been upset about the trade imbalance and the war in Ukraine. France's president, Emmanuel Macron, was in China for three days. He wanted to smooth things over. He told China that both countries should work together in a fair way. He also asked China to help end the war in Ukraine. Macron was happy that China might let more French products, like wine and meat, into its market. He also said China could invest more in France, creating jobs. The two countries made some deals. They talked about energy, farming, schools, and the environment. China wants to work more with France in areas like space, nuclear power, computers, medicine, and AI. But there are still problems. Last year, France put taxes on Chinese electric cars, and China put taxes on French brandy. Now, France is worried China might tax French pork and dairy too. Macron also talked about something called "global imbalances. " He thinks China makes too much stuff and relies too much on selling it to other countries. This makes trade unfair. France's trade with China is worth about 20 billion euros. They also talked about the war in Ukraine. China said it wants to help make peace. Macron wants China to use its influence on Russia to stop the fighting. He hopes China will help get a ceasefire soon. After their meeting, the two leaders went to Chengdu. This is where China has a famous panda breeding center. France recently sent back two pandas that had been living there for 13 years. China promised to send new pandas to France soon. They also made a new deal to protect pandas.