Chinese support for Russia over the war in Ukraine, renewed tensions over Taiwan and a row over Chinese subsidies giving China's companies an unfair advantage over European competitors.

With inflation taking a toll on people's finances and amid a growing sense of responsibility towards the climate, second-hand shops are booming across the globe. In France, around 10 percent of clothes each year are now resold, and thrift stores are attracting a wider audience.

Can you still send strong messages when you've rolled out the red carpet and chilled the champagne for a state dinner? China's Xi Jinping is being feted in the French capital for his first visit to Europe since 2019, despite trade tensions, spy scandals and insistence that he isolate Vladimir Putin over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.