PARIS– Chinese President Xi Jinping began a trip to three European countries on Sunday, with the continent divided over how to deal with Beijing’s growing power and the rivalry between the US and China.
European car manufacturers are losing ground to subsidized Chinese electric vehicles. Diplomats worry about alleged Chinese spies in European capitals. And China’s continued defense trade with Russia worries anyone in Europe who supports war-torn Ukraine and fears the Russian military won’t stop there.
But Europe and China have strong economic ties – EU-China trade is estimated at 2.3 billion euros a day – and Xi appears determined to rebuild and deepen relations with European leaders after a prolonged absence caused by the pandemic. of COVID-19.
Xi started on Sunday in France, whose president wants Europe to have more economic and strategic independence from other world powers. Afterwards, the Chinese president heads to Serbia and Hungary, both seen as friends of China and close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and beneficiaries of substantial Chinese investments.
Xi’s trip will be closely watched in Washington for signs of waning European support for his main foreign policy goals. At the same time, there is growing uncertainty in Europe about future US support for transatlantic allies.
Xi was welcomed at Paris’ Orly airport by French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal – and by protests from groups demanding that France pressure China to respect the rights of Tibetan and Uyghur minorities. Activists seeking a free Tibet attempted to raise a flag on Saturday under the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and protested in the French capital around the same time Xi’s plane landed.
After arriving, Xi said he hoped the visit would bring “strategic convergence” between China and France, and that the further development of their relations would contribute to “stability and positive energy in a turbulent world,” according to a text provided to reporters at the airport.
On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron will offer the Chinese leader the formal honors of a full state visit. They will also meet European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who is expected to join Macron in promoting fairer trade policies and for China to use its influence with Russia to pressure it to end the war. in Ukraine.
The EU launched an investigation last fall into Chinese subsidies and could impose tariffs on electric vehicles exported from China.
China claims neutrality in the conflict in Ukraine but has refused to call Russia’s all-out assault on its neighbor an invasion and has been accused of bolstering Russia’s ability to produce weapons.
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