Chinese President Xi Jinping began the meeting of the three countries trip to Europe The continent was divided on Sunday over how to deal with Beijing’s growing power and US-China rivalry.
European automakers are losing ground subsidized Chinese electric cars. Diplomats are worried alleged Chinese spies in European capitals. And China’s ongoing defense trade with Russia worries anyone in Europe who supports war-ravaged Ukraine and 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 2.3 billion euros a day – and Xi appears determined to restore and deepen relations with European leaders after a long absence caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Xi Jinping began his work on Sunday in France, whose president wants Europe to have more economic and strategic independence from other world powers. The Chinese president then heads to Serbia and Hungary, which are considered friendly to China and close to Russian President Vladimir Putin and recipients of significant Chinese investment.
Xi Jinping’s trip will be closely watched in Washington for signs of waning European support for his key foreign policy goals. At the same time, there is growing uncertainty in Europe about future US support for transatlantic allies.
At Paris Orly airport, Xi was met by French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal and protests from groups demanding France pressure China to respect the rights of Tibetan and Uighur minorities. Activists seeking a free Tibet attempted to unfurl a banner on Saturday under the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and held a protest in the French capital around the same time Xi Jinping’s plane landed.
After his arrival, Xi Jinping said he hoped the visit would lead to a “strategic rapprochement” between China and France and that further development of their relationship would promote “stability and positive energy in a turbulent world,” according to text provided to reporters at the airport.
On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron will treat the Chinese leader with official honors as part of a full 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 to end the war in Ukraine.
Last fall, the EU launched an investigation into Chinese subsidies and may impose tariffs on electric vehicles exported from China.
China claims neutrality in the Ukraine conflict but refuses to call Russia’s full-scale attack on its neighbor an invasion and has been accused of bolstering Russia’s weapons production capabilities.