Macron has made a fool of himself in China

At least there was no six metre-long table in Beijing separating Emmanuel Macron from Xi Jinping. But their meeting was about as fruitless as the French president’s socially distanced chat with Xi’s ‘best friend’ Vladimir Putin in Moscow last year, shortly before the Russian leader sent his tanks into Ukraine.

There was something very retro about the Macron’s visit to China. It led to a scene almost from centuries ago when foreign plenipotentiaries would trail to the Middle Kingdom bearing gifts and seeking favours from the emperor. It was also a throwback to the more recent times when it was still possible to talk about reform in China while keeping a straight face.

Xi’s China is now a dark and repressive place. His growing international aggression, economic coercion and support for Putin have provoked dismay from much of the western world, forcing them to reassess relations with Beijing.