Chinese President Xi Jinping has embarked on a three-country trip Trip to Europe Sunday with the continent divided over how to deal with Beijing's growing power and the rivalry between the United States and China.
European automakers are losing ground Supported Chinese electric cars. Diplomats are worried Alleged Chinese spies In European capitals. The continued defense trade between China and Russia worries anyone in Europe who supports it War-torn Ukraine Fears that the Russian army will not stop there.
But Europe and China have strong economic ties – trade between the EU and China is estimated at about 2.3 billion euros per day – and Xi seems determined to rebuild and deepen relations with European leaders after a long absence due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Xi started Sunday in France, whose president wants Europe to get more Economic and strategic independence From other world powers. The Chinese president then heads to Serbia and Hungary, which are seen as friends of China and close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and receive significant Chinese investments.
Xi's trip will be closely watched in Washington for signs of waning European support for its key foreign policy goals. At the same time, there is growing uncertainty in Europe about future American support for transatlantic allies.
Xi was received at Orly Airport in Paris by French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal – and by protests organized by groups calling on France to pressure China to respect the rights of Tibetan and Uyghur minorities. Activists seeking to liberate Tibet tried to raise a banner on Saturday under the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, and protested in the French capital around the same time Xi's plane landed.
After his arrival, Xi said he hoped the visit would achieve “strategic rapprochement” between China and France, and that further developing their relations would contribute to “stability and positive energy in a turbulent world,” according to a text provided to reporters at the White House. the airport.
French President Emmanuel Macron is scheduled to honor the Chinese leader on Monday with an official state visit. They will also meet European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who is expected to join Macron in pushing for fairer trade policies, and for China to use its influence with Russia to push it toward ending the war in Ukraine.
The European Union launched an investigation last fall into Chinese subsidies and could impose tariffs on electric cars exported from China.
China is committed to neutrality in the Ukrainian conflict, but it refused to describe the comprehensive Russian attack on its neighbor as an invasion, and was accused of enhancing Russia's ability to produce weapons.