Chinese President Xi Jinping is heading to the European Union to offer far more economic opportunities to the bloc than the US does, according to Bloomberg.
Xi is expected to begin his five-day trip to France, Serbia and Hungary on May 5, as these countries seek investment from China despite numerous EU investigations into Beijing’s industrial policies and warnings from officials in Washington about the risks, the Foreign Ministry in Beijing reports.
President Emmanuel Macron aims to deepen his personal ties with Xi Jinping during a two-day visit to France, asking the Chinese leader to call for an end to the war in Ukraine. Macron is also reportedly keen to attract Chinese investment in France’s EV battery sector.
Chong Ja Ian, an associate professor of political science at the National University of Singapore, claimed that the Chinese leader’s trip “is an effort to try to pull at parts of Europe that Xi feels might be more sympathetic to his position.”
France’s Emmanuel Macron offers Xi the opportunity to negotiate with a leading EU power that’s proved willing to carve a more independent path.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi voiced hope on Saturday that Paris could push the EU to pursue a pragmatic policy towards Beijing. Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will also hold a trilateral meeting with Xi Jinping during his visit, her chief spokesman announced.
Xi Jinping’s visit comes as the EU gradually develops a more unified voice with Washington in countering China’s ability to pursue cheap exports and alleged national security risks.
The Chinese leader’s stopover in Belgrade, which is not an EU member state, comes in the week that marks the 25th anniversary of the US bombing of the Chinese embassy in the Serbian capital, an event that brought Russia and China closer over shared anti-American sentiment.
Getting support from friendly countries would help Beijing send a message that “Europe is on China’s side, no matter what Brussels says,” Una Aleksandra Berzina-Cerenkova, director of the China Studies Centre at Riga Stradins University, stated.
Companies of the world’s second-largest economy are investing abroad at the fastest pace in eight years, opening more factories overseas that could ease trade tensions. Automaker BYD Co. announced plans last year to build a plant in Hungary, while Chery Automobile Co. signed an agreement in April to buy Nissan Motor Co.’s old plant in Spain to make electric vehicles.
Cui Hongjian, a professor at Beijing Foreign Studies University and a former diplomat, claimed:
China needs to give a clearer message to the European public that it is still a reliable partner. That boils down to one thing, providing more favorable policies to European countries and companies.
