China:French president Nicolas Sarkozy's inaugural visit to China was marked by a non-confrontational approach, and his "new realism" policy was rewarded with a treasure trove of business deals, from nuclear reactors to aircraft.
Mr Sarkozy's three-day visit, which began on Sunday, had been flagged as a straightforward business trip, part of France's bid to become China's number one European partner. Although he took seven ministers and 40 businessmen with him, a notable omission from his delegation was Rama Yade, his 31-year-old, Senegalese-born human rights minister.
The French president had not been expected to push on human rights during the visit and risk antagonising his Chinese hosts, even though a crucial part of his electoral platform was a shift away from the unquestioning line on China's human rights record adopted by his predecessors.
His attitude was in stark contrast to that of German chancellor, Angela Merkel, who produced a list of jailed and oppressed dissidents during her last visit to China, and earned the ire of her coalition partners for meeting the Dalai Lama, who is despised by Beijing.
Mr Sarkozy said a bid by self-ruled Taiwan, which China regards as a renegade province, to win recognition as an independent nation and hold a referendum, was "ineffective and unjustified".
At dinner with President Hu Jintao, Mr Sarkozy gently urged China to apply the death penalty less frequently and called for more freedom for journalists. He also urged Mr Hu to "engage vigorously" in finding a solution to the crisis in Burma. The journalists lobby group Reporters Without Borders had called on the French president to do more six months into his reign.
Among the €20 billion worth of deals announced were an €8 billion nuclear reactor deal by France's state-owned Areva SA to sell two nuclear reactors to China, and a €10 billion deal where China Southern Airlines will buy 160 commercial passenger jets from Airbus.