A sea of cheers and flashing smartphone cameras greeted French President Emmanuel Macron as he walked through a university crowd in Chengdu, China, on Friday. Surrounded by tight security, the visiting leader was treated more like a rock star than a diplomat as thousands of students and local residents pressed forward outside the university’s sports complex.
Hundreds of people lined up for hours to catch a glimpse of Macron as he prepared to address attendees at Sichuan University. One 21-year-old materials science student, Ye Maoxuan, expressed pride in the moment, describing Macron as charming as he spoke to the audience while people across the crowd captured the scene on their phones.
Social media quickly lit up with clips from the event, especially after a morning jog Moments circulated showing Macron looking fit and in good spirits—an image that amplified the buzz around his visit.
When Macron finally arrived around 3 p.m., the crowd surged to shake his hand, producing a scene reminiscent of his 2023 campus appearance in Guangzhou. Earlier in the day, Macron had touched down in Chengdu following talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, where discussions focused on the trajectory of Sino-French relations and Paris’s push for Chinese backing toward a ceasefire in Ukraine.
PANDA DIPLOMACY
On the ground, Sichuan University students voiced hopes that Macron’s trip would deepen academic collaboration between their institutions and French universities. “There should be joint projects between our universities and France,” Ye said as he queued through security checks. “China and France excel in different domains, so mutual learning would be beneficial.”
Meanwhile, Macron’s wife, Brigitte Macron, visited Chengdu’s Giant Panda Breeding Research Base. The two countries subsequently agreed to transfer two pandas from China to France by 2027, replacing a pair recently returned to Chengdu from a French zoo.
Clinical medicine student Gu Xingyu offered a sentiment shared by many: sending the pandas to France symbolizes the warmth of Sino-French goodwill, and there is hope that the gesture strengthens friendship between the two nations.
