Emmanuel Macron

President Emmanuel Macron is seeking to open a new chapter for the two remaining years of his term that will focus on efforts to relaunch the French economy deeply hit by the coronavirus crisis.

"Let's not be so naive as to say it's been much better at handling this," he said of China's management of the outbreak.

The French president strongly agreed with Prime Minister Modi's view that the COVID-19 crisis is a turning point in modern history, and offers the world an opportunity to forge a new human-centric concept of globalisation, it said.

European public health authorities say people should avoid shaking hands to curb the spread of coronavirus, which can be transmitted through skin-to-skin contact.

Macron and Trump agreed to hold off on a potential tariffs war until the end of 2020, a French diplomatic source said, and continue negotiations at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on the digital tax during that period.

A statement issued by Elysée Palace said the two leaders discussed the situation in the region of Kashmir in the "spirit of trust and frankness" that characterises bilateral ties.

Macron said in a statement he had a phone call on Sunday with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Prime Minister recalled his earlier meetings with President Macron, including at Biarritz and Chantilly.

"Given the recent rise in tensions in Iraq and the region, the President of the Republic highlighted his total solidarity with our allies in light of the attacks carried out in recent weeks against the coalition in Iraq," Macron's office said in a statement.

After a Downing Street source said a Brexit deal was essentially impossible because German Chancellor Merkel had made unacceptable demands, the EU accused Johnson of playing a "stupid blame game".

Ahead of his talks with Macron, Singh held discussions with France's Armed Forces minister Florence Parly.

India had ordered 36 Rafale fighter jets from France in a deal worth Rs 59,000 crore in September 2016.

Ahead of the visit, officials here said progress on setting up the Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project is likely to be discussed during bilateral talks and India is committed to finalising the venture 'as soon as possible'.

It was a symbolic gesture: the tree came from a northern French forest where 2,000 US Marines died during World War I.

The French President had offered the young oak to Trump on the occasion of a state visit to Washington in 2018

Prime Minister Modi on May 23 led his Bharatiya Janata Party towards a super-sized victory for a second term in office.

Macron devoted a brief prime-time televised address to April 15 catastrophic blaze in the heart of the capital, again postponing planned remarks on his response to months of anti-government protests.

Xi earlier arrived at the resort city of Nice accompanied by his wife Peng Liyuan to be welcomed by French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and an honour guard.

"We can do better and must do better," Macron said in a 16-minute televised speech from the Elysee palace while urging the French to "accept the reality" that increased public spending was not the answer to their problems.

Around 66,000 protesters turned out again on December 15 on the fifth round of anti-government demonstrations, which sprung up over diesel taxes last month.