That's not the done thing," a senior French official said.
"The goal is to make Berlin understand there's a problem," the senior French official said.
We even struggled to get them to meet in person," the French official said.
German officials say that they are aware they need to reduce their reliance on China, but they add that this should not mean banning all Chinese investment in Europe.
read moreGerman officials say France had been invited to join but declined.