France’s approach to China is noticeably taking on a stronger dose of realism. When taking office in 2017, French president Emmanuel Macron already sought to pursue a more complex, “less naïve” approach to China, as later reflected in the European “triptych” adopted in 2019 that considers China as a partner, a competitor, and a systemic rival. Recently, important divergences with Beijing, particularly in the geoeconomic and geopolitical spheres, have put a strain on the triptych approach.