Business leaders expressed concern on Thursday that French commercial interests in China could be harmed in the wake of the cancellation of a summit between Beijing and the European Union, but said there was no sign of immediate repercussions.

Laurence Parisot, head of Medef, the French employers’ body, said she was “concerned” at the Chinese government’s decision to call off next Monday’s summit in protest at President Nicolas Sarkozy’s planned meeting with the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan leader.