French President Emmanuel Macron plans to visit Germany in early July, and his upcoming visit is overshadowed by a series of Franco-German disputes that have recently come to the fore.

Paris and Berlin clashed over issues related to China, nuclear power and the European economy.

Macron is expected to arrive in Germany on July 2 for a two- or three-day visit.

During his stay there, the French leader is expected to hold meetings with Chancellor Olaf Soltz and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Macron’s visit comes at a difficult time for Franco-German relations.

Berlin and Paris continue to disagree on key policy areas. The planned reform of the EU’s fiscal rules, the fact that France wants nuclear power to be labeled “green” and the EU’s stance on the axis of increased geopolitical tensions between the US and China are some of the major “thorns” generating disputes between Germany and France. Macron’s statement in an interview with POLITICO last month that Europe should not be drawn into the US-China conflict over Taiwan drew a sharp reaction from Berlin.

At the same time, however, despite their differences, France and Germany seem to want to intensify their cooperation against the background of Russia’s war in Ukraine, as well as in such areas as hydrogen, microchips and defense equipment.

French Defense Minister Sebastian Lecorny said back in early May that he would meet with his German counterpart by mid-July to discuss the development of a new battle tank, which should replace the German Leopard 2 and the French Leclerc.

According to Politico