President Emmanuel Macron’s mastery of public imagery, like that of Barack Obama, conceals a highly calculated, choreographed communications policy. [...] “For a president, everything is a story of symbols. He needs to have total control,” comments Albert-Alexis Galland, director of strategy with Kaolin.

The leaders of China and Taiwan meet Saturday in Singapore for the first time since the two sides clashed in a civil war seven decades ago, in a carefully managed encounter that caps eight years of improved economic ties.