The Chinese leader’s tour of Europe will last from 5 to 10 May. And the leader of the Celestial Empire planned his European tour for a reason. He has not been on the continent for five years. During this time, some things have changed not in favour of China.
Xi Jinping will visit France, Serbia and Hungary, plans to meet with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron.
And it’s a good time to remember that Ursula von der Leyen initiated a major French-backed anti-subsidy investigation into the influx of Chinese electric cars into Europe.
Earlier this year, China launched an investigation into the prices of brandy imported from the EU, which could hit France’s cognac sector and is widely seen as retaliation for that “electric car” investigation.
In Belgrade and Budapest, Xi Jinping will no longer have to answer uncomfortable questions; Chinese investment is welcomed there.
The Chinese leader’s visit to Belgrade coincides with the week marking the 25th anniversary of the NATO bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade that killed three people. This is an open wound for China. Any recollection of the event could rekindle deep divisions between China and NATO, over American supremacy and the source of security problems in Europe – a view that brings it closer to Russia.
Serbia, which Beijing considers a “trusted friend,” has been expanding trade and investment ties with China.
In January, the Balkan country announced a deal that includes Chinese investment of more than $2 billion in wind and solar power plants, as well as a hydrogen plant.
Hungary is also becoming an increasingly important manufacturing centre in Europe for Chinese auto suppliers, including electric car makers.
Beijing is determined to show Europe that it offers far more economic opportunities for them than the US. And if the Chinese leader succeeds in driving not a stake, but even a peg into the confused relationship between the US and Europe, one can only hope for a final epiphany for Macron and his cohorts.
1,620 total views, 2 views today
