Differences in President Xi Jinping's 2024 European tour

DW (Germany) commented that when President Xi Jinping visited the EU in 2019, the world situation was much simpler than it is now. At that time, there was no COVID-19, no Russia-Ukraine conflict, no conflict in Gaza, and both the EU and China were aiming for a trade and investment agreement.

The Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) between the EU and China was signed in December 2020 after seven years of negotiations. The agreement is expected to make it easier for European companies to access the Chinese market and facilitate Chinese investment in the EU. However, the agreement has yet to be ratified by the 27 EU member states and the European Parliament.

Xi Jinping begins his tour of France on May 5, after which the Chinese leader will visit Serbia and Hungary.

DW commented that in Paris, Xi Jinping will face a tough stance from the EU but is expected to be welcomed more warmly in Belgrade and Budapest.

Pressure from France on Russia-Ukraine conflict

French President Emmanuel Macron is scheduled to welcome President Xi Jinping on May 6 in Paris. European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen is a guest.

The Elysee Palace confirmed last week: “The talks will focus on international crises, first of all the conflict in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East.”

Al Jazeera predicts that President Macron will urge President Xi Jinping to put pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin over the Ukraine issue.

Meanwhile, Chinese Ambassador to France Lu Shaye recently expressed: "The Chinese government has always maintained a neutral, balanced, objective and unbiased stance towards any side."

Emmanuel Lincot, a research fellow at the Institute for International and Strategic Affairs, said Beijing valued Paris’s role. But Lincot argued that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s planned visit to China this month showed Beijing had not changed. “There will be no change in President Xi Jinping’s approach to major international issues,” he said.

President Xi Jinping’s visit to France is expected to see a number of new business deals signed, including a planned order with Airbus. The EU and China remain among each other’s largest trading partners.

However, the EU has repeatedly raised concerns about unfair market access. In 2023, the EU launched an investigation into Chinese electric vehicle subsidies. President Macron told the Economist last week that he would convey to President Xi Jinping why Europe needs to protect its manufacturing and industry.

China invests heavily in Serbia

After France, President Xi Jinping will travel to Serbia. His visit coincides with the 25th anniversary of the US bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade. Washington has apologized for the incident, calling it an accident, and paid compensation to the Chinese citizens who died.

Formally seeking EU membership, Serbia and other Western Balkan countries are in a geopolitical hot spot where major powers are jostling for influence. While the EU is Serbia’s top economic partner, some €10.3 billion in Chinese investment has poured into the country between 2009 and 2021.

Hungary - a friend in the EU

Xi Jinping will end his European tour in Hungary, the EU member state with which the bloc has often been at odds. China’s Foreign Ministry said the two countries have increased political trust in recent years.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told the Global Times on April 30 that the EU's investigation into China's electric vehicle subsidies is "really dangerous and harmful." Mr. Peter Szijjarto emphasized that Hungary will participate more in improving EU-China relations.

Hungary has been involved in the Belt and Road Initiative since 2015. Hungarian President Viktor Orban and President Xi Jinping are expected to discuss further the high-speed rail project under construction between Budapest and Belgrade.