With the UK in Brexit mode, it is said there is a great opportunity for France to position itself as Europe's key partner for Belt and Road-related projects and highlight areas for closer collaboration.

And now it appears that the French are taking steps to do just that. As if to say he understands this geopolitical situation in precisely these terms, French President Emmanuel Macron said: “The new roads cannot only go one way.”

During his state visit earlier this year, instead of ceremonially celebrating a few one-off deals, the French delegation spoke of free and fair trade and the need for reciprocal treatment.

President Macron’s visit resulted in major contracts for major French corporations such as Airbus and Areva, as well as new partnerships in the sectors of culture and art.

Concrete results such as these demonstrate French ambition to better leverage Chinese relations by adopting a more pragmatic and business-focused approach to diplomacy, and his desire to boost French exports through this strategic partnership.

This also was the approach of French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, who sought to make this “pivot” in Sino-French relations, noted the South China Morning Post.

On the French side, there was an expectation of progress leading to increased sales and access for sectors ranging from food and finance to aerospace and nuclear power, reported the Hong Kong daily.

China, it said, appeared more willing to recognise that government subsidies can lead to overcapacity and that the two countries can work together to eliminate nettlesome trade barriers.

The Sino-French relationship is developing in three priority areas: strengthen political dialogue, work to rebalance economic relations in a spirit of reciprocity and encourage greater exchanges between civil societies.

France’s partnership with China is structured by number areas for strategic dialogue. One substantial one took place in Paris in March 2016. This established the 2001 protocol that and helps tackle the various fields of cooperation and strengthen coordination on global issues such as the climate.

This followed the high-level economic and financial dialogue of 2013. And in November 2016, during the visit of China's Vice Premier Ma Kai, there was a dialogue on human exchanges involving academic, scientific and cultural cooperation with a follow held in November 2017.

These exchanges were held against the background of China's President Xi Jinping's State Visit to France in March 2014 and an Official Visit in November 2015.

At this time, China's Prime Minister Li also visited France. The chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, Zhang Dejiang, visited France in September 2016, for the interparliamentary France-China Grand Commission.

President Macron’s visit ushered in a wave of optimism for Sino-French relations, as the two countries look to strengthen economic ties in 2018 and beyond, reported Dezan Shira & Associates' China Briefing.

"The president’s trip was aimed at boosting confidence and economic cooperation between China and France, with the ambitious plan for the French delegation to re-equalise the trade balance, which is currently unfavourable for France," said China briefing.

The Chinese market, the biggest in the world for many products and services, is attracting the attention of French multinationals even though access remains complicated for foreign companies.

While encouraging French companies to come sell in China, President Macron took advantage of his visit to lobby for fairer competition standards in this market.

France has impressive clout. It has the world's seventh biggest economy and the second largest in the EU after Germany.

The chemical industry is a key sector for France, helping to develop other manufacturing activities and contributing to economic growth. France's tourism industry is a major component of the economy, as France is the most visited destination in the world and of course, is the world's global fashion hub.

According to the IMF, France is the world's 20th country by GDP per capita at US$44,099. Not that France is problem free. Its economy entered the recession of the late 2000s later but left it earlier than most, only enduring a four-quarter contraction. Yet France suffered stagnant growth between 2012 and 2014, posting no growth in 2012, 0.8 per cent in 2013 and 0.2 per cent in 2014, though growth picked up in 2015 with a growth of 0.8 per cent and a growth of 1.1 per cent for 2016, to a growth of 2.2 per cent for 2017 and to later reach 2.1 per cent for 2018.

One impact for good or ill has been the rise and fall of "dirigisme", that is the economic ambitious modernisation scheme under state coordination. This involved the state control of certain industries such as transport, energy and telecommunications as well as providing incentives for private corporations to merge or engage in certain projects.

While there has been a retreat from "dirigisme", the government continues to play a significant role in the economy. Government spending is 56 per cent of GDP, is the second highest in the EU. Labour conditions and wages are highly regulated. The government continues to own shares in corporations in several sectors, including energy production and distribution, automobiles, transportation and telecommunications.

As important, if not more important today, is that France is the world's sixth largest agricultural producer and EU's leading agricultural power, accounting for a third of all agricultural land within the EU.

Northern France has large wheat fields. Dairy products, pork, poultry, and apple production are concentrated in the western region. Beef production is located in central France, while the production of fruit, vegetables and wine ranges from central to southern France. France is a large producer of many agricultural products and is currently expanding its forestry and fisheries.

As the world's second-largest agricultural exporter, France ranks just after the United States. The destination of 49 per cent of its exports is other EU member states. France also provides agricultural exports to many developing African countries, which face serious food shortages. Wheat, beef, pork, poultry and dairy products are the principal exports.

The French agricultural sector receives almost EUR11 billion in EU subsidies. France's competitive advantage is mostly linked to the high quality and global renown of its produce, such as cheese and wine.

France has paid much attention to the social aspects of diplomacy, recalling a day in the 18th century when most agreements of importance were made in the salons of Paris where the socially adept wheeled and dealed. Today, much stress is laid on the ability of the most important political players to deal with each other personally on a one-to-one basis and have underlings handle details afterwards.