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Chinese President Xi Jinping will embark on a European tour, visiting France, Serbia and Hungary, with the aim of strengthening economic ties with the European Union. The move comes amid emerging tensions between the U. S. and China, with the EU aligning more strongly. with the U. S.
What happened: Xi’s visit to the EU, his first in five years, is perceived as an attempt to distance the EU from the United States. Recently, the EU has taken a tougher stance toward China, aligning itself more strongly with the United States, Bloomberg reported. .
The Chinese leader’s meeting is scheduled for May 5 and will be accompanied by meetings with the leaders of France, Serbia and Hungary. These countries are seeking Chinese investments despite ongoing EU investigations into Beijing’s trade policies and warnings from U. S. officials.
During his stopover in France, President Emmanuel Macron reportedly called on Xi to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. Macron also aims to attract Chinese investment to the French electric vehicle battery sector.
Xi’s decision coincides with the EU’s growing unity with the United States in opposition to China’s economic practices and perceived threats to national security. This has led to growing distrust in Brussels, with Germany recently arresting suspected Chinese spies.
Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin have joined forces to challenge the U. S. -led global order, which Beijing says seeks to stifle its progress. Xi’s visit to Belgrade, a non-EU state, coincides with the 25th anniversary of the U. S. bombing of the Chinese. embassy in the Serbian capital, an occasion that solidified the
During his trip to Europe, Russian President Putin will also be sworn in for a fifth term, for which Xi congratulated him, pointing to a pro-Russian policy that has exacerbated tensions between Beijing and Brussels.
A woman from Aleksandra Berzina-Cerenkova, director of the Center for Chinese Studies at Stradins University in Riga, noted that Xi visits countries where he explicitly opposes the U. S. -led global security architecture.
By winning the five-nation election, Beijing aims to send the message that “Europe stands with China, no matter what Brussels says,” he added.
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Analysts see Xi’s vacation as an attempt to convince the EU that greater relations are imaginable and to draw parts of Europe into a more sympathetic position.
“China wants to make it clearer to the European public that it remains a trustworthy partner,” said Cui Hongjian, a professor at Beijing Foreign Studies University and a former diplomat. It all boils down to one thing, he added: “delivering policies that are more favorable to European countries and businesses. “
Why it matters: Xi’s visit to the EU comes at a time of heightened tensions between China and the United States. The EU, historically seen as a buffer between the two superpowers, is now aligning itself more strongly with the United States, as evidenced by the recent Arrayfrom U. S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in Beijing to talk about China’s overcapacity.
China’s move into the EU also follows a warning from the EU’s most sensible diplomat in Asia, Niclas Kvarnström, that China’s relationship with Russia and its gigantic industrial surplus with the EU are the main obstacles to improving relations.
Despite these challenges, China continues to strengthen its economic ties with Europe. Xi’s stopover is perceived as an attempt to convince the EU that larger features are imaginable and to lure parts of Europe into a more sympathetic position, according to the report.
At the same time, major Chinese banks are reported to have halted Russia-related transactions, due to concerns about U. S. sanctions. This has led to an increase in the use of select payment channels, adding cryptocurrencies, through Chinese corporations doing business with Russia.
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