China's Xi to travel to the French Pyrenees and Serbia

French President Emmanuel Macron and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend an official welcoming ceremony, at the hotel des Invalides. Loic Baratoux/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

Chinese President Xi Jinping's trip to Europe is scheduled to include an excursion to the French Pyrenees mountain range on Tuesday.

The first day of talks in Paris focused on trade policy and Ukraine with French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

The Élysée Palace said a more personal aspect of the visit is planned for Tuesday.

Xi and Macron plan to arrive at the Col du Tourmalet, one of the highest paved mountain passes in the Pyrenees, at around 1 pm (1100 GMT) and have lunch together.

In the late afternoon, Xi plans to travel on to Belgrade, where he is to be the guest of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.

The Balkan country maintains cordial relations with China, which is investing in infrastructure projects and industrial sites there.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend an official welcoming ceremony, at the hotel des Invalides. Loic Baratoux/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
French President Emmanuel Macron (L), European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (R), and China's President Xi Jinping (C) leave after attending a meeting at the Elysee presidential palace. Christophe Licoppe/European Commission/dpa