Taipei, Taiwan \u2014\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nChinese President Xi Jinping concluded his high-profile European tour Friday after signing dozens of agreements with France, Hungary and Serbia, while reiterating Beijing\u2019s desire to enhance \u201cmutually beneficial cooperation\u201d between China and Europe.<\/p>\n
Some analysts say Xi\u2019s trip to Europe is part of Beijing\u2019s attempt to undermine European unity while deepening its foothold in the European Union through elevated economic ties with Hungary, a member of the 27-nation bloc.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeijing has identified France as a weak link in the EU\u201d that it could potentially influence because of French President Emmanuel Macron\u2019s efforts to prioritize his country\u2019s \u201cstrategic autonomy,\u201d and the Chinese government \u201cthinks they can use Hungary and Serbia to influence Central and Eastern Europe,\u201d said Sari Arho Havren, an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in Brussels.<\/p>\n
Chinese state media outlets are framing Xi\u2019s European tour as a success by highlighting the positive aspects of the trip. The state-run Global Times<\/em> described the 18 deals that China and France signed this week as \u201ca positive signal for European entrepreneurs and a stabilizer to China-Europe trade ties against [the] decoupling push.\u201d<\/p>\nMeanwhile, the state-run Xinhua News Agency said China\u2019s decision to elevate ties with Hungary marks \u201cthe most recent stride in China’s effort to deepen cooperation with Central and Eastern European nations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Judging from the substance of his trip, Arho Havren said, Xi did achieve some success in testing unity in Europe.<\/p>\n
Additionally, Arho Havren said Xi\u2019s recent interactions with Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also expose a fault line between Germany and France \u2014 the EU\u2019s top two economies \u2014 regarding how to handle relations with China.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince Scholz prioritized German interests due to fear of Chinese countermeasures during his trip to Beijing, [it\u2019s clear] that Beijing has been successful in influencing the German businesses and through them, the chancellor,\u201d she told VOA in a written response.<\/p>\n
Unlike Scholz, some experts said Macron tried to show that he supports the EU\u2019s common approach toward China by inviting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to join his initial meeting with Xi in Paris.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think conveying the sense that [projecting European unity] is the top priority for French diplomacy has been the successful part of Xi\u2019s European tour for Paris,\u201d Mathieu Duchatel, director of international studies at the French policy group Institut Montaigne, told VOA by phone.<\/p>\n
Overall, Arho Havren said some European countries should understand they can\u2019t influence China\u2019s behavior by engaging with them individually. Rather, such practice runs the risk of creating disunity within the EU, which is what Beijing seeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cChina will continue its efforts to keep the EU disunited by playing the target countries’ vulnerabilities and egos against one another,\u201d she told VOA.<\/p>\n
EU\u2019s economic security agenda<\/strong><\/p>\nSome observers say one of China\u2019s initiatives to challenge the EU\u2019s unity is to slow down the bloc\u2019s efforts to carry out key parts of its economic security agenda. In recent months, the EU has launched anti-subsidy investigations into several Chinese products, including green energy and security devices.<\/p>\n
During his meeting with Macron and von der Leyen, Xi said there is no such thing as \u201cChina\u2019s overcapacity problem,\u201d and he urged the EU to \u201cdevelop the right perception of China and adopt a positive China policy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite Beijing\u2019s denial, von der Leyen reiterated on Wednesday that Europe needs to stop China from flooding the European market \u201cwith massively subsidized electric cars.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to tackle this, [and] we have to protect our industry,\u201d she said during the party convention of the Christian Democrats in Berlin.<\/p>\n
Duchatel said China has not been \u201cvery successful\u201d in slowing down the EU\u2019s economic security agenda. \u201cI don\u2019t think China can turn away that wave because when it comes to using [the economic security] instruments to reestablish some form of balance in our relations with China, there is a broad agreement across Europe,\u201d he told VOA.<\/p>\n
While there is a consensus across Europe that the EU should strengthen its capacity to defend its interests, Duchatel said there is a lack of unity in the bloc about how to build leverage against China. \u201cWe are failing in terms of having a more offensive agenda to force some concessions [from Beijing],\u201d he told VOA.<\/p>\n
Countries may \u201cget some nuances in the Chinese language regarding Ukraine, or words regarding withholding tariffs on [French] brandy. [They] don\u2019t really get anything tangible [from Beijing],\u201d Duchatel said.<\/p>\n
Following his meeting with Xi and von der Leyen, Macron said he welcomed China\u2019s pledge not to supply arms to Russia, while Xi said he supports Macron\u2019s proposal for a global truce during the Olympic Games in Paris this summer.<\/p>\n
No major changes<\/strong><\/p>\nDespite Beijing\u2019s attempt to portray Xi\u2019s visit as productive regarding improving EU-China relations, some analysts say they don\u2019t expect the trip to reshape the dynamics between Beijing and Brussels.<\/p>\n
Justyna Szczudlik, deputy head of research at the Polish Institute of International Affairs, told VOA that since France is the most important stop for Xi\u2019s trip and Macron showcased his support for the EU\u2019s approach toward China, she doesn\u2019t anticipate \u201cany huge change to EU-China relations\u201d following Xi\u2019s visit.<\/p>\n
While the economic security agenda will remain the EU\u2019s main approach to handling trade relations with China, Duchatel said many European countries say that China\u2019s investment environment \u201chas become very risky\u201d and that Beijing has failed to persuade European governments that its partnership with Russia \u201cis not something that goes against European security.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think Xi\u2019s words in Paris have changed this perception, so his visit [won\u2019t] make up for the trust lost over the last few years,\u201d he told VOA.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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