This is the program of a diplomatic visit, unusual enough to be noted. On Tuesday, May 7, continuing his visit to France, Chinese President Xi Jinping, together with Emmanuel Macron, will travel to the village of La Mongie in the Hautes-Pyrenees.
Both statesmen will land at Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées airport. They will then head to the Col du Tourmalet, considered the “Mecca of French sporting culture”, especially for its legendary stage of the Tour de France.
Beyond the sporting aspect, Emmanuel Macron has personal ties to the Hautes-Pyrenees. The head of state’s maternal grandmother, who died in 2013, lived in La Mongie, where he will receive Xi Jinping this Tuesday. Even today, Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron regularly travel to La Mongie, in particular to ski. The President also has family near Bagneres-de-Bigorre.
A way to repay the debt
But how to explain such an intimate base? In fact, this is Emmanuel Macron’s way of paying back his Chinese counterpart. In April 2023, during a visit to China, the French President was received by Xi Jinping in Canton for a tea ceremony at the residence of the governor of Guangdong Province, where his father Xi Zhongxun lived in the late 1970s. Xi Jinping then shared his youthful memories with Emmanuel Macron.
This year, the two heads of state will again be able to share a less formal moment after discussing highly political issues such as international trade or the war in Ukraine the day before.
Source: Le Parisien
I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.
