French President Emmanuel Macron was given the full red-carpet treatment.... When European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived, she got the ecology minister -- at the regular passenger exit.

It was a pattern on display again and again on Wednesday and Thursday, as CHINA TRIED TO PLAY DIVIDE AND CONQUER with the two leaders, who had teamed up on the visit to try and present A UNITED EUROPEAN FRONT.
[...]
On the homepage of news agency Xinhua, much of the focus on Wednesday centered entirely around Macron and China's ties with France, leaving THE EU an almost invisible subject.
[...]

xinhua | Xi holds trilateral meeting with Macron, von der Leyen
...For her part, von der Leyen noted that the EU respects China's history and culture. Frank and constructive dialogue with China and continuous development of EU-China relations are crucial for peace and stability in Europe.
[...]
In a separate meeting with von der Leyen after the trilateral meeting, Xi said China has always regarded the EU as a strategic force in the international landscape, and the development of China-EU relations has always been a priority in China's diplomacy.
[...]
Von der Leyen reiterated that the EU has no intention to change its long-standing one-China policy, recognizes the government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legal government representing the whole of China and hopes that the Taiwan Strait will maintain peace and stability....

In other media outlets, von der Leyen was OUTRIGHT VILIFIED—A THEME that has accelerated since the EU chief delivered a < reckless eyeballin' >relatively hawkish speech on China last week.
[...]
The Chinese readout of Xi's talks with von der Leyen—their first-ever bilateral meeting—also showed it had been less than amicable.
[...]