Xi Jinping begins his European tour with the economy and China’s global role as key topics

China’s president, Xi Jinping, begins his first trip to Europe this Sunday in France, where he will share his country’s economic growth and global role with leaders of both political models. In the European Union, France was represented — with the special participation of Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission — and another close to the Russian and Chinese context, such as Hungary and Serbia. Xi was received by French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal this afternoon before holding meetings with von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron the following day. The situation in Ukraine and the Middle East countries will also be important during these talks, the Elysée said. The visit to France comes after German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbach criticized Chinese practices regarding government subsidies and did not rule out accepting retaliatory measures. In fact, the European Commission is investigating whether sales of Chinese electric cars in Europe are being unduly subsidized and whether countermeasures are needed. Xi warned against any economic protectionist measures during German Chancellor Olaf Scholes’ visit to Beijing in April. Both Germany and China depend on industry and support free trade, the Chinese president said. “In this sense, both sides need to guard themselves against the rise of protectionism,” he added. The Chinese president will visit Hungary to speak with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, the head of government of the EU’s only country to be part of a larger Chinese international infrastructure project known as the Belt and Road Initiative (or Silk Road). ) Orban is known for his disagreements with Brussels and NATO decisions and his closeness to Moscow, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic will share records with the Chinese leader. Indeed, a decade ago, Hungary and Serbia struck a deal with Beijing to modernize the railway between their capitals, Budapest and Belgrade, a gateway for Chinese products to Central and Eastern Europe. The project, worth around 2 billion euros, hopes to be operational in 2026, after several delays. The visit to Serbia will mark a symbolic moment, marking the 25th anniversary of the May 7, 1999, U.S. bombing of the Chinese embassy in the Serbian capital, Belgrade, during the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. (Xu Xinghu, his wife, Zhu Ying, and Shao Yunhuan) and characterized the tense contemporary relations between China and the Atlantic Alliance. A case in point is China’s criticism of NATO’s expansionist policy, which Beijing sees as one of the fundamental factors that led to the war in Ukraine. Xi, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, refused to describe the conflict as a Russian invasion and blamed the alliance for part of the responsibility for its outbreak.