Ahead of President Xi Jinping’s three-nation tour of Europe starting on Sunday, Brussels has cranked up the pressure on Beijing with a series of blistering salvoes intended to send strong political messages to the Chinese leadership.

European Union trade, competition and digital authorities have been cracking down on Chinese firms in increasingly dramatic fashion, while its sanctions officers are turning up the heat on companies accused of funnelling European-made goods to Russia’s war machine.

It makes for a potentially fiery discussion in Paris next week, when European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen meets Xi and French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss the big issues in EU-China relations.

“Paris makes no secret of its support for the EU’s de-risking policy, nor of its fear that Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) will flood the European market thanks to a competitiveness made possible by unfair practices,” Marc Julienne, a China expert at the French Institute of International Relations, said in a note.

While the two-day summit in Paris and the Pyrenees mountain range in southern France will see a series of business deals signed, observers and officials are watching closely for how Macron will address the economic grievances.

“Beneath the diplomatic veneer, obstacles are piling up and the areas of cooperation between the two countries are shrinking,” Julienne said, referring to the France-China relationship.

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