President Emmanuel Macron of France has responded to China's "panda diplomacy" by offering counterpart Xi Jinping a horse of the elite Republic Guard.

The offer of Vesuvius, an eight-year old brown gelding from the presidential cavalry corps, came as Mr Macron embarked on a three-day visit to China with his wife Brigitte.

The French First Lady in November became the godmother of a baby panda lent by Beijing to a zoo near Paris.

The choice of the horse was an "unprecedented diplomatic gesture" according to the French presidency; it came after the Chinese president heaped praise on the 104 horsemen who escorted him during his last visit to Paris in 2014.

"It mattered a lot for the president, even if it was very complicated to import a horse for sanitary reasons. It's a symbol of French excellence," said an Elysee official. The horse, which was flown in a special plane, is currently stuck in quarantine.

It came with a special harness and sword from Mr Macron.