Chinese premier in France for charm offensive targeting businesses, politicians

Chinese Premier Li Qiang is visiting France this week where he's meeting with the country's top politicians. According to an EU-based thinktank, Beijing has built an extensive network inside France's policy structures that serves to influence Paris's decision making in favour of China.

France's President Emmanuel Macron, left, is welcomed by Chinese Premier Li Qiang, prior to a meeting at the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing, China, Thursday, April 6, 2023. AP - Thibault Camus

On Wednesday, Li met with French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire during a working diner hosted by the France-China Committee, a group of French industrialists dealing with China.

Members include CEOs of top French companies including l'Oréal, BNP Paribas, LVMH, Thales and Sanofi. China's Minister of Commerce, Wang Wentao, will attend the get-together as well.

The visit comes after French President Emmanuel Macron paid a visit to China in April.

Li arrived from Germany, where he urged Berlin against using "de-risking" from China's economy as an excuse to distance itself from Beijing, saying he was convinced that was not something German companies wanted.

"I think most German industry friends won't see China as a risk and won't agree to any so-called de-risking targeting China," Li added.

The visit of the Chinese premier to the EU's two most powerful countries coincides with a new EU proposal to protect the bloc’s economies from risks posed by countries that do "not share its values," such as China and Russia, after the war in Ukraine exposed Europe’s dependency on Russia for oil and gas while Beijing remained on friendly terms with Moscow.

Li's trip is aimed at improving relations with Europe, while ties with the US remain shaky. A new war of words broke out between Washington and Beijing, after US President Joe Biden called Chinese President Xi Jinping a "dictator", a remark that was put aside as "ridiculous" by Beijing.

• Macron says EU must follow its own course, avoid getting caught up in Taiwan issue
• EU unveils plans to avoid economic risks when dealing with Russia, China

'Tea leaf prince'

China is also working on other fronts to retain sympathy of the West.

In the report "The tea leaf prince – Chinese Communist Party Networks in French Politics" published by the Prague based thinktank Sinopsis, researchers René Bigey and Alex Joske extensively research the role of former National Assembly member Buon Tan for President Emmanuel Macron's Renaissance Party.

Buon Tan was won his seat in 2017 for Paris' 13th district, but was not re-elected in 2022. But his case reveals widespread attempts by China to influence Paris' politics.

Buon Tan held posts "in key parliamentary commissions related to China while taking CCP-aligned positions on issues such as Huawei and the genocide against Uyghurs," according to the report.

In January 2022, he was the only parliamentarian to vote against a proposal to condemn China's treatment of its Uyghur population as "genocide."

He also, on several occasions, served as an advisor on China to Macron.

At the same time, the report continues: "Tan has been a member of several organisations controlled by the CCP’s united front system and maintains contacts with the Party’s International Liaison Department," responsible for organising and influencing Chinese organisations abroad.

Buon Tan, then member of France's Assemblée Nationale, shaking hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a CCP sponsored meeting in Beijing in 2019. © Screengrab CCTV

"Associations with these entities do not demonstrate wrongdoing," admits the report, but states that "their role in the CCP’s efforts to covertly influence foreign politicians is well documented."

After a report in French daily Le Monde in February 2022 questioning the role of Buon Tan and the possibility of influence peddling on behalf of Beijing inside France's legislature, mounting criticism led to him being grilled by a Parliamentary commission in March 2023, but by then he had already left the legislation.

Cultural operations

In another report, titled "France’s 'Influence Diplomacy' Under CCP Influence," published last month, Sinopsis found that "heavyweight united front figures have become major donors to French cultural operations organised by French authorities, in spite of their public defence of policies and values at odds with those promoted by France."

The report singled out Hong Kong billionairer Jonathan Choi and Pansy Ho, the daughter of another Hong Kong billionaire, Stanley Ho.

As "major donors to French cultural events", they gained "easy access to France’s top diplomats and increased their network within French political elites".

This report said this helped legitimise some of the positions they publicly defend on behalf of the Chinese party-state, exemplified by their support of the Beijing-led crackdown on Hong Kong's freedoms since 2019.