Emmanuel Macron has called for a Europe-wide strategy on big data during his visit to Beijing, saying it is a priority for France this year.
European big data companies needed the size of the European market to compete with China and the US while ensuring the personal data protections lacking in the Chinese market, the French president said after a forum on artificial intelligence.
During the three-day visit Mr Macron paid tribute to Chinese imperial institutions and plans for a new “silk road” of commerce across Eurasia. But he insisted that market access should be a two-way street, as possible for European companies in China as for Chinese companies in the EU.