"This report, by going against the river, is deeply pro-French and alter-globalist": The concluding words of the 153-page report, authored by Sophia Chikirou of radical left party La France Insoumise (LFI), are consistent with its appraisal of relations between the European Union and China. Throughout the report, the MP for Paris lays out an indictment of EU policies, which she argues are "too often aligned with American policy vis-à-vis Beijing." The "resolutely trans-Atlantic approach adopted by Europe has resulted in a kind of trade war against China, with harmful effects," she writes.

Yet this highly political document did not come from within LFI, whose pro-Beijing positions have increased in recent years. The report is an official document of the Assemblée Nationale's European Affairs Committee, which authorized its publication on June 17. The debate around the report was brief, with only eight members present: four from LFI, three from President Emmanuel Macron's centrist Renaissance party, and one from the far-right Rassemblement National (RN).

It is rare for official parliamentary reports on sensitive international matters to diverge so sharply from government policy. Sinologist and political scientist Paul Charon warned the report was likely to be manipulated: "This report is very positive for the Chinese authorities. They would be mistaken not to use it to highlight the lack of unity within the French authorities." According to a European diplomat, "When the Chinese embassy discovers the report, it will be delighted to drive a wedge into the French position."

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