PARIS/LONDON/FRANKFURT -- Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Paris on Sunday for the first leg of a continental tour aimed at easing trade tensions with an increasingly wary Europe.

The car freighter BYD Explorer No. 1 brings 3,000 cars to Bremerhaven, Germany. Europe needs Chinese EVs if it is to meet its goal of banning combustion engines in 2035. © Getty Images
As Xi travels through EU this week, automakers weigh whether to fight or team up with cheaper Chinese rivals