Macron to visit US amid strained ties

France's President Emmanuel Macron will raise concerns with the United States on trade issues during a state visit this week that comes amid strained ties.

The diplomatic house call comes against the backdrop of a growing economic war between the nations that began with a controversial pact and continued due to new US legislation.

The AUKUS pact of the United Kingdom, Australia and the US resulted in Canberra canceling a contract to buy French submarines. With France furious with the US over the collapse of the deal, and with retaliatory trade sanctions escalating between the nations, Reuters reported that Macron and US President Joe Biden will now want to send a message that the strained ties have been repaired.

But France is also concerned about the US Inflation Reduction Act, or IRA, that Biden signed in August, which calls for subsidies for US manufacturers and which the European Union has said amounts to unfair competition.

An unnamed Macron adviser told Reuters that France wants exemptions from the IRA for EU companies.

The Associated Press reported that the visit could ensure the nations avoid a major trans-Atlantic row, with EU trade ministers vowing to respond if Washington implements the IRA in full.

The EU is also reportedly considering taking its complaints to the World Trade Organization.

Agence France-Presse reported that energy will also be on the agenda during Macron's visit, with France looking to ramp up nuclear power cooperation. And he will also try to persuade the US to lower its selling price for gas and oil, after saying earlier this month the US "produces cheap gas but sells it to us at a high price".

Describing the situation as "unfriendly", he said he "will go to Washington in a spirit of friendship… to simply plead for a level playing field".

Macron is expected to arrive in the US on Tuesday, visit the White House on Thursday, and the largely French-speaking state of Louisiana on Friday. He will be the first French president to participate in two state visits, and will be accompanied by a large delegation of ministers and business leaders.

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