Amid 'yellow vest' rebellion, Macron woos business leaders

VERSAILLES, France (Reuters) - President Emmanuel Macron will tell dozens of the world's most powerful executives on Tuesday that he remains committed to reforming the French economy, reassuring investors as a sometimes-violent popular revolt challenges his authority.

For the second year running, Macron will host corporate A-listers like Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella, Snapchat's Evan Spiegel and JPMorgan Chase & Co CEO Jamie Dimon at a pre-Davos dinner at Versailles.

His office said on Monday that foreign companies including medical products company Microport, Mars, Procter & Gamble, Cisco and others would announce investments in France totalling more than 600 million euros.

The dinner will be an opportunity to reassure investors of Macron's resolve to reform the economy after images of attacks by protesters angry at his policies on public monuments, boutiques, banks and riot police were beamed around the world.

"There are questions about the protests' magnitude, about the violence, because these images are shocking for foreigners," a source at Macron's office said.

"Last year, the summit was in a totally different dynamic, it was all about 'France is back'. Here we're in a tougher part of the mandate domestically and that requires more explanations," the source added.

Macron was elected in May 2017 against a far-right candidate on a promise to create jobs and drive growth by cutting corporate taxes, easing France's rigid labour regulations, and developing a more skilled labour force.

He began making good on those campaign pledges in a reform blitz during the first 18 months of his presidency that impressed investors but infuriated low-paid workers, who feel he favours big business and is indifferent to their struggle to make ends meet.

Over the past two months, that popular anger has been vented at protests across France. The unrest has convulsed Macron and his government and forced costly concessions.

Macron is not attending the World Economic Forum in the Swiss ski resort of Davos, his office says, so that he can deal with quelling the "yellow vest" uprising.

Below are some of the key investment pledges announced on Monday:

- Microport: 350 million euros over five years to expand a Research & Development centre.

- Mars: 120 million euros invested in eight different sites including the Haguenau plant where M&Ms are produced.

- Procter & Gamble: 50 million euros investment in a new detergent production line at its Amiens plant.

- Transpod: 20 million euro investment to finance a 3km hyperloop test line.

(Reporting by Jean-Baptiste Vey and Reuters Television; Writing by Richard Lough; Editing by Michel Rose and Catherine Evans)