DUNKIRK, France— Building factories to boost job creation and make France more independent — that’s President Emmanuel Macron’s ambition for the French economy.

It’s a big challenge, as France reels from protracted protests, rising food and energy prices and other fallout from the Ukraine war.

While Macron woos investors to help “re-industrialize” France and reduce Europe’s dependence on China and the U.S., protesters follow him around the country, banging saucepans to protest economic injustice and his leadership.

More than 200 international business leaders are gathering Monday at the ‘Choose France’ event staged at the Palace of Versailles to promote foreign investment. Eminent business leaders taking part in the sixth such pow-wow ranged from The Walt Disney Company’s Robert Iger to Lakshmi Mittal of Arcelor Mittal.

Elon Musk was a surprise visitor, meeting first with Macron at the Elysee Palace with discussions about “significant progress in the electric vehicle and energy sectors,” as well as digital regulation, the president tweeted.

France vaunts its attractiveness and plans to to prove it with the announcement of 13 billion euros (about $14.14 billion) in investments via 28 initiatives, several of them announced recently.