French president visits Australia for naval contract, climate change
Xinhua,May 02, 2018 Adjust font size:
SYDNEY, May 1 (Xinhua) -- French President Emmanuel Macron arrived here Tuesday for an official two-day visit, with trade, defence and climate change expected to be on the agenda.
It's the first time Macron has travelled to Australia and comes off the heels of his highly publicised visit to the United States where he met with U.S. President Donald Trump.
"France is one of our oldest and closest friends," Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said.
"This year especially we remember our nations' shared sacrifice in the trenches of the Western Front (in World War I) a century ago."
High on the agenda for the meeting will be a French naval firm's 37.5-billion-U.S. dollar contract to build 12 submarines for the Australian Defence Force.
Other matters will include a potential free trade agreement between Australia and the European Union, as well as climate change action in the South Pacific.
The two leaders are expected to dine together at the Sydney Opera House on Tuesday night before Macron pays a special tour to an Indigenous Australian art gallery. Enditem