Macron’s gift to Xi is symbol of French desire for long-lasting relationship with China
By beginning his tour in Xian, the starting point for the ancient Silk Road. Macron was offering symbolic support for the “Belt and Road Initiative”
When French President Emmanuel Macron visited Beijing in January this year, he confirmed the intention to present President Xi Jinping with an eight-year-old gelding named Vesuve de Brekka.
The actual handover was delayed by strict quarantine requirements, but for those in the know, the diplomatic gesture was heavy with symbolism.
The choice of official gift was a reciprocal nod to China’s tried-and-tested style of “panda diplomacy”, and an acknowledgement of the admiration President Xi expressed for the equestrian skills of France’s Republican Guard during his own visit to Paris in 2014.
It was also seen as a clear allusion to the Qianlima or “thousand-mile horse”, a mythical winged creature from Chinese folklore famed for its ability to cover great distances. By extension, that was presumed to signal Macron’s wish for a long-lasting relationship with Beijing.
On the other hand, the impressive real-life specimen, which has taken part in formal presidential escorts on the Champs-Elysées, was carefully selected as “a symbol of French excellence”. And, in an interesting twist that officials no doubt downplayed at the time, some sharp-eyed observers noted that the French leader’s name is rendered in Putonghua as “Ma ke long”, which translates as “the horse vanquishes the dragon”.
