Chinese President Xi Jinping kicked off a three-nation trip to Europe on Sunday, with the continent divided over methods to cope with Beijing's growing power and US-China rivalry.
European automakers are losing ground to subsidized Chinese electric vehicles. Diplomats are concerned about alleged Chinese spies in European capitals. And China's continued arms trade with Russia worries everyone in Europe who supports war-ravaged Ukraine and fears that the Russian army won’t stop there.
However, Europe and China have close economic ties – EU-China trade is estimated at 2.3 billion euros a day – and Xi appears determined to strengthen ties with European leaders after a crisis brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic to rebuild and deepen the knowledge brought on by the prolonged absence.
Xi begins Sunday in France, whose president wants to provide Europe more economic and strategic independence from other world powers. The Chinese president then travels to Serbia and Hungary, each of that are considered China-friendly and shut to Russian President Vladimir Putin and recipients of great Chinese investments.
Xi's trip shall be closely watched in Washington for signs of waning European support for his key foreign policy goals. At the identical time, uncertainty is growing in Europe concerning the US's future support for transatlantic allies.
Xi is greeted at Paris' Orly airport by French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal – amid protests from groups demanding that France pressure China to respect the rights of Tibetans and Uyghurs. Activists campaigning for a free Tibet attempted to unfurl a banner under the Arc de Triomphe in Paris on Saturday, protesting within the French capital around the identical time as Xi's plane landed.
On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron will bestow the official honor of a full state visit on the Chinese leader. They may also meet with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. She is anticipated to hitch Macron in pushing for fairer trade policies and for China to make use of its influence over Russia to influence the country to finish the war in Ukraine.
The EU launched an investigation into Chinese subsidies last fall and will impose tariffs on electric vehicles exported from China.
China claims neutrality within the Ukraine conflict but refuses to call Russia's all-out attack on its neighbor an invasion and is accused of boosting Russia's weapons production capability.
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