Xi’s visit to Europe – outcomes for Sino-Euopean relations
Editorial 21 May 2024The last meeting was in Budapest with the Hungarian Prime Minister Orban, whom he honored for his “independence” in foreign policy. In the preceding days, Xi Jinping had met Macron and Von der Leyen at the Élysée Palace and then Aleksandar Vučić, the President of Serbia, to strengthen what he called a “steel friendship.” The Chinese President returned to Europe after five years with a visit to France, Serbia, and Hungary, in a geopolitical landscape profoundly changed. In 2024, not only are the 60th and 75th anniversaries of China’s relations with France and Hungary being celebrated, but also the 25th anniversary of NATO’s bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade during the Kosovo War. Xi’s main objective was to reinforce and revitalize relations with the EU at a time of growing competition. The three chosen countries are all, in different ways, drivers of a relationship with Beijing that is not mediated by the USA and were not selected randomly. According to the Washington Post, China’s strategy to split the Western front is increasingly clear, aiming to make Europe more independent from the USA both politically and commercially. But what were the results of this European tour of Xi Jinping? The issue of NEU you are reading will attempt to provide a series of answers to this question.
Wrriten by: Nicola Frau
