PARIS — Donald J. Trump arrived in Paris on Thursday for a presidential visit filled with Bastille Day pomp and which the White House hopes will offer respite from rolling scandal back home.

Air Force One touched down at Paris’ Orly airport shortly after 0630 GMT, with US president beginning a 24-hour trip that coincides with France’s national day on Friday and the 100^th anniversary of US involvement in World War I.

Accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump, the 71-year-old stepped onto French soil for the first time as president hoping the visit will distract from weighty allegations that his family and inner circle colluded with Russia to win the 2016 US election.

The scandal has put his son and top aides in legal jeopardy and cast a pall over his efforts to remake American politics.

During the lightning visit, Mr. Trump — who sees himself as a transformative figure in US politics — will be the guest of honor at festivities marking a pivotal point in the French Revolution, after a trip to Napoleon’s tomb and a Michelin-starred dinner at the Eiffel Tower.

Mr. Trump and his host, recently-elected French President Emmanuel Macron, will watch troops parade down the Champs-Elysees and mark 100 years since America entered World War I on France’s side.

Mr. Macron, 39, is hoping to use the weight of history and French grandeur to charm the unpredictable Mr. Trump — six weeks after welcoming Russia’s Vladimir Putin at the grandiose Palace of Versailles.

In London, Berlin, Brussels and Paris, European leaders are wondering how best to handle the US president, whose nationalist “America First” agenda has upended transatlantic relations.

Mr. Macron hopes to build a relationship with the new occupant of the White House that might enable him to influence US policy or, at the least, help avoid serious strains between the EU and Washington.

There are already tensions over climate change and trade, while Mr. Trump was openly critical of the EU last year and snubbed a handshake with German Chancellor Angela Merkel during their first meeting in March.

“It’s very difficult to play chess with a man whose strategy is a complete mystery and whose only consistency is his pursuit of American national interest,” foreign affairs expert Bertrand Badie of Sciences Po university in Paris told AFP.

“To imagine that you might change his mind on something is simply mad.”

MACRON, THE ‘ANTI-TRUMP’
Talks between the two leaders are expected to focus on joint efforts to combat the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, where American and French troops are in action side-by-side. They will dine together at the Jules Verne restaurant up the Eiffel Tower, enjoying stunning views of the French capital along with their wives Melania and Brigitte.

Messrs. Trump and Macron appear to have little in common, with their views at odds on everything from globalization to immigration.

Mr. Macron was even described as the “anti-Trump” during his run for the French presidency this year.

As well as a huge generational gap — Mr. Trump at 71 is almost twice Macron’s age — there is scant evidence of any overlap of interests in their personal lives.

Mr. Macron also criticized Mr. Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the global Paris climate change agreement last month and used the American’s own slogan against him, saying: “Make our planet great again.”

Mr. Macron told regional newspaper Ouest-France on Thursday that Paris and Washington had “an essential point of convergence: fighting terrorism and protecting our vital interests.”

However, he also lamented “a protectionist tendency (which) has resurfaced in the United States.”

“I want to defend free and fair trade,” he added.

But sources in the French presidency insist ties are healthy even after a muscular handshake seen as a battle of wills between the two of them when they first met at a NATO summit in May.

“The relationship is excellent,” said one member of Mr. Macron’s team.

PRAGMATIC APPROACH
Manuel Lafont-Rapnouil, an expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations think tank, said Mr. Macron had no choice but to try to build ties with the US president.

“Whatever you think, the United States is still the United States and we need them on lots of issues. You can’t just say ‘Trump is there so let’s wait until he’s gone,’” he told AFP.

“Even if it is very difficult to handle someone as unpredictable as him, you need to try to salvage what you can.”

Nearly 11,000 police officers will be on duty, with France in its highest state of alert after a string of terror attacks since 2015 that have killed more than 300 people.

And in early July, police charged a 23-year-old suspected far-right activist with plotting to assassinate Mr. Macron at the Bastille Day parade. — AFP

BEIJING — China insisted Thursday it was abiding by UN sanctions on North Korea despite a jump in its trade with the nuclear-armed nation that comes amid growing US calls for Beijing to rein in its neighbor.

Sino-US relations have soured in recent weeks as President Donald J. Trump has urged Beijing to step up diplomatic and economic pressure on North Korea over its nuclear ambitions.

Tensions rose after North Korea’s test this month of an intercontinental ballistic missile that could reach the US mainland.

Despite Washington’s calls for action, trade between China and its neighbor increased 10.5% to $2.5 billion in the first six months of the year compared to the same period last year, including a 29.1% jump in exports.

But customs administration spokesman Huang Songping said Beijing was upholding the UN sanctions against the regime of Kim Jong-Un.

“Simple accumulated data cannot be used as evidence to question China’s severe attitude in carrying out UN Security Council resolutions,” Mr. Huang told a news briefing.

He pointed to a 13.2% drop in imports from North Korea in the same period as an example of the pressure, adding that there have been sharp decreases every month since March.

“UN Security Council sanctions are not a total ban on shipments. Trade related to DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) people’s livelihood, especially those that reflect humanitarianism should not be influenced by the sanctions,” Mr. Huang said.

China announced in February the suspension of coal imports from the North, striking a blow at a major source of income for the hermit state.

Mr. Huang said coal imports dropped by three-quarters in the first half, and all those shipments had been made before February 18.

Mr. Trump has complained that trade increased between the two despite calling on his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to use the nation’s unique diplomatic and economic clout over North Korea as leverage.

“Trade between China and North Korea grew almost 40% in the first quarter. So much for China working with us — but we had to give it a try!” Trump tweeted on July 5.

Previous Chinese customs data showed two-way trade with the North had risen 30.6% in dollar terms in the first three months of the year.

The US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, said on Sunday that Washington would crank up pressure on China to ensure it implements sanctions over the missile test.

She told the Security Council last week that the US planned a new resolution that would also ensure existing measures are enforced. — AFP

BEIJING — Ships carrying personnel for China’s first overseas military base, in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa, have set sail to begin setting up the facility, as China’s rapidly modernizing military extends its global reach.

Djibouti’s position on the northwestern edge of the Indian Ocean has fueled worry in India that it would become another of China’s “string of pearls” of military alliances and assets ringing India, including Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka.

China began construction of a logistics base in Djibouti last year. It will be used to resupply navy ships taking part in peacekeeping and humanitarian missions off the coasts of Yemen and Somalia, in particular.

It will be China’s first overseas naval base, though Beijing officially describes it as a logistics facility.

State news agency Xinhua said late on Tuesday the ships had departed from Zhanjiang in southern China “to set up a support base in Djibouti.”

Navy commander Shen Jinlong “read an order on constructing the base in Djibouti,” but the news agency did not say when the base would begin operations.

Xinhua said the establishment of the base was a decision made by the two countries after “friendly negotiations, and accords with the common interest of the people from both sides.”

“The base will ensure China’s performance of missions, such as escorting, peace-keeping and humanitarian aid in Africa and west Asia,” it said.

“The base will also be conducive to overseas tasks including military cooperation, joint exercises, evacuating and protecting overseas Chinese and emergency rescue, as well as jointly maintaining security of international strategic seaways,” Xinhua said.

Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a daily news briefing the base would enable China to make “new and greater contributions” to peace in Africa and the world and would benefit Djibouti’s economic development.

Djibouti, which is about the size of Wales, is at the southern entrance to the Red Sea on the route to the Suez Canal. The tiny, barren nation sandwiched between Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia also hosts US, Japanese and French bases.

The People’s Liberation Army Daily said in a front-page commentary the facility was a landmark that would increase China’s ability to ensure global peace, especially because it had so many UN peacekeepers in Africa and was so involved in anti-piracy patrols.

There has been persistent speculation in diplomatic circles that China would build other such bases, in Pakistan for example, but the government has dismissed this. — Reuters