Le Figaro Runs Xi Jinping Article

On March 23, 2019, Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) published a signed article in France’s Le Figaro (費加羅報) ahead of his second state visit to France. The article, titled “Moving Together Toward Common Development” (在共同發展的道路上繼續並肩前行), appeared before Xi arrived in Nice on March 24. In the piece, Xi reviewed developments in China-France relations since his first state visit in 2014, noting that bilateral trade had grown by over 13 billion US dollars and mutual investment exceeded 20 billion US dollars. Xi stated China would “open wider” and welcomed French companies to invest in China while expressing hope that Chinese businesses would “do better in France.” Radio France Internationale (RFI) reported that Chinese state media purchased “at least over one million euros” in advertising space across multiple French outlets during the visit, with content from Xinhua News Agency (新華社) appearing prominently.