(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. and European Union are not on the same page when it comes to dealing with China and must discuss their strategic approach, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said.

Speaking to Bloomberg Television on the sidelines of meetings in Washington Thursday, Le Maire said how to engage with China is “the big question” for the coming decades of transatlantic diplomacy.

“The U.S. wants to oppose China, Europe wants to engage China. So there is a difference of view,” Le Maire said. “We need to discuss because this is clearly a strategic question.”

The French minister said that the tone between the U.S. and France during the international meetings of finance officials this week was “positive and constructive” after the recent spat over Paris losing an Australian submarine contract to the U.S. 

“We are on the right way to build back, and to have a constructive relationship on all the financial and economic targets,” Le Maire said.

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