This gift served as a hint and not the most subtle one at all, Politico writes.
China’s anti-dumping probe, which targets European wine-based drinks and has become particularly relevant to French cognac producers, is seen as a response to the European Union’s decision to launch several Beijing-focused investigations into alleged unfair trade practices in sectors such as electric cars and medical device manufacturing. .
In gratitude, Xi Jinping promised not to apply preventive tariffs on the French brandy and to support Macron’s idea of an Olympic truce.
Unfortunately, unlike Mr. Macron’s gifts, it was more difficult to get offers from Xi Jinping.
Macron hoped that during the Chinese president’s two-day visit he would be able to persuade Beijing to soften its position on several key issues, including trade imbalances and China’s unfettered partnership with Russia. Unfortunately, Xi Jinping has turned a deaf ear to any persuasion: he has denied any problems, offered only minimal compromises painful to China, and openly distorted the truth about China’s involvement in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
When it came to Ukraine, the Chinese leader reiterated his pledge not to ship weapons to China and to strictly control the export of dual-use equipment to Russia, but these are positions previously declared by China.
Xi Jinping has largely ignored Western fears that China has helped prop up Russia’s economy by supplying goods it could no longer get from the West due to sanctions. Unfortunately, China has been blamed for saying one thing and doing another when it comes to deciding whether to extend a helping hand to aggressive countries like Russia and North Korea.
Xi Jinping’s harshest statement during the visit was intended to act as a veiled blow to Washington and other Western countries, which accuse Beijing of supporting the Kremlin.
“We do not agree that the Ukrainian crisis should be used [kaip pretekstu] blame, slander a third party and instigate a new cold war,” he said on Monday.
The reference to the new Cold War, which the Chinese Communist Party usually uses to criticize any geopolitical maneuver by Washington that is unacceptable to Beijing, could excite Mr. Macron, who seeks to transform Europe into a strategically autonomous military and economic power independent of either China or the United States. according to Politico.
As Xi Jinping’s first day in Paris drew to a close, the Elysee Palace was in a timidly upbeat mood: the talks, particularly on Ukraine, had given hope to several advisers.
Xi Jinping told the media that he supports the French president’s call for an Olympic truce, which Macron sees as an opportunity to lead to a firm solution to the conflict in line with international law.
But in the current context, as Russia gains the upper hand on the battlefields of Ukraine and prepares for an offensive to begin this summer, talk of an Olympic truce sounds like a pipe dream. According to Marc Julienne, an expert on China affairs at the Paris-based think tank IFRI, China’s expressed goodwill should not be seen as a real victory by France because it is in line with Beijing’s aspirations.
“The support of the French president’s proposal to try to reach a ceasefire during the Olympic Games is self-evident, because China advocates a ceasefire, although it does not take any steps in this direction,” he explained.
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived on Tuesday evening at the second stop of his European tour – Serbia.
China’s state broadcaster CCTV reported that Xi Jinping “arrived in Belgrade on a special plane, his state visit was organized at the invitation of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.”
Xi Jinping will meet with A. Vučić in Belgrade on Wednesday, as Beijing seeks to strengthen political and economic ties with friendlier European countries. China has invested billions in Serbia and neighboring Balkan countries, particularly in mining and manufacturing, and Beijing and Belgrade signed a free trade agreement last year.
Serbian Finance Minister Siniša Mali told state broadcaster RTS that discussions on Wednesday would focus on a “great project”. “We are looking to attract significant Chinese investment in a very promising area,” he said on Tuesday, but added that he would “not reveal the cards at this time.”
During the visit, the streets of the Serbian capital were decorated with Chinese flags, banners and billboards proclaiming “a warm welcome to friends from China”.
Xi Jinping’s visit to Belgrade coincides with the 25th anniversary of the bombing of the Chinese embassy. in 1999 Three people were killed when the US embassy was bombed. The embassy was hit during a months-long US-led NATO campaign targeting Serbian security forces fighting a brutal war with ethnic Albanian rebels in Kosovo. The US later apologized and said outdated maps misled the pilot and he hit the wrong target.
On Tuesday, the Serbian daily Politika published an article by Xi Jinping in which he wrote that NATO had “heinously bombed the Chinese embassy in Yugoslavia” and warned that China “will never allow such a tragic history to repeat itself.” He also praised the “iron-solid” friendship between China and Serbia, “fortified by the blood of our compatriots.” According to experts, the date of the visit means it will have “great symbolic significance”.
After the meeting with A. Vučić, Xi Jinping will go to Hungary, where China has invested a lot in huge battery and electric car factories.
