German Chancellor Angela Merkel and EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker will be joining French President Emmanuel Macron and Chinese President Xi Jinping for talks in Paris on Tuesday.

The French government has billed the encounter, on the third and last day of Xi's state visit to France, as a "high-level meeting on the challenges of multilateralism." 

Both Xi and Macron talked up the virtues of multilateralism at a state dinner Monday evening. Macron said that he hoped to build a "new global governance" with China.

"This is an important gesture that we are making now. It is a testament to your deep attachment to China's cooperation with Europe... and my desire to build a strong Europe," he told Xi.

A prosperous Europe corresponded with China's "vision for a multipolar world," Xi said, adding that "China will always back European integration."

Macron has been a vocal opponent of US President Donald Trump's unilateral approach to global affairs. Xi, unlike Trump, has remained a supporter of multilateral action against climate change and the agreement on Iran's nuclear program.

Tuesday's meeting, however, is also likely to address the thornier subject of trade with China, where Juncker has said the relationship is "imbalanced."

Without mentioning China by name, EU leaders last week raised the possibility of using trade defense instruments such as anti-dumping tariffs, a new tool to screen foreign investments, and a proposed EU mechanism requiring third countries to grant reciprocal access to their public procurement markets.