Xi arrived in Paris on Sunday to begin a six-day trip to Europe, his first since 2019, which also includes talks in Serbia and Hungary.
Xi has said he wants peace in Ukraine, although analysts do not expect any major changes in Chinese policy.
Opening the tripartite meeting, which was attended by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Macron said coordination with Beijing on major crises, including Ukraine, was complete vital, and demanded fair rules for all in Europe-China trade.
“The future of our continent will clearly depend on our ability to continue developing a balanced relationship with China,” Macron said.
Leyen said she wants fair competition with China in global trade, saying she made it clear in previous talks with Xi that the current imbalance in market access was unsustainable and needed to be addressed.
“We have been very clear about our relationship with China, which is one of the most difficult, but also the most important,” she said.
On Tuesday, the leaders of France and China will travel to the Pyrenees for more informal talks.
During the talks, Macron is expected to urge Beijing not to provide Russia with technology it can use to make weapons, and also call for an end to distortions of competition in trade international.
