Another of Mr. Obama’s priorities in Cannes is to push for greater access to overseas markets for American exports.

“We’ve got to get into a posture where the U.S. is always going to be a big market, and we’re going to welcome goods from all around the world, but we’ve also got to be selling goods around the world," said Obama.

The president will continue to bring up the sensitive issue of the value of China’s currency, according to Matthias Matthijs, an assistant professor of international political economy at American University in Washington.

“So basically, the United States is the debtor country and thinks that the Chinese are exporting because of unfair trade practices, and then the Chinese think that the Americans basically print too much money and manipulate their economy that way," said Matthijs.

Scheherazade Rehman, the director of George Washington University’s European Union Research Center, doubts that the president’s views on China’s currency will get much European support.

“They are so caught up in putting out their own fires that they cannot fathom that this is a good time to bring up a currency war with China," said Rehman. "From President Obama’s point of view, this is a good time, so he can show the American people that ‘Look, we are going to do whatever we can to keep jobs at home.’”