China’s Communist leader Xi Jinping came to teach Europeans about neutrality, but he promised nothing, writes Iltalehdi’s Greta Karwala.
Behind Chinese President Xi Jinping’s polite smile hides the superpower’s hard-hitting interests. Pictured, Xi met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Tuesday. AOP, EPA / AOP, Sebastian Ortola
Chinese President Xi Jinping has made a rare visit to Europe. He visited France, Serbia and Hungary this week. Carefully selected locations show how China seeks to break the unity of Europe through individual nations.
During the visit, the Asian giant reminded NATO of its bipolar nature and tried to distance Europe a little from the US.
Xi’s visit did not bring relief to strained relations between the EU and China. China’s support for Russia, which is waging an illegal war of aggression, and its pledge of neutrality are strained: China exports dual-use goods to Russia that benefit the war and finance Russia’s war fund. By buying energy.
The relationship between the EU and China has also been strained by Chinese espionage and unfair trade, where China heavily favors its own companies but monitors European companies more closely.
In France, President Xi Jinping reminded Europe of China’s superpower status and the country’s long history, which includes Confucius, a philosopher who lived 2,500 years ago, and which the Chinese Communist Party has set out to restore.
Quoting Confucius, Xi guided Europeans in the words of the ancient teacher: “Sages cultivate harmony in diversity, lean to one side or the other and stand in the middle. How brave of him”
It is the Chinese’s fashionable way of asserting China’s neutrality that there are other actors in the world besides the US and NATO.
Unfortunately, Europe’s and China’s positions on the war in Ukraine were not aligned during Xi’s visit. All that was heard in Paris was a general desire for a ceasefire in Ukraine to be reached in time for the Summer Olympics in Paris.
For example, no promises have been made that China will be involved in the Ukrainian peace conference to be organized in Switzerland in mid-June. The Chinese leader said only that he supported the meeting “at an appropriate time”.
The visit to Serbia followed by the French trip was China’s direct thorn in NATO’s side. Xi was able to remind NATO of the bombing of Yugoslavia 25 years ago, in which NATO’s stray bombs hit the Chinese embassy and killed three Chinese journalists.
Russia, which supported the Serbs, has repeatedly criticized NATO for bombing Yugoslavia. They ended up in NATO as a result of the ethnic cleansing carried out by the Serbs, among others.
The bombing stopped 11 weeks later when the Serbs agreed to the Kosovo Peace Plan.
The Chinese leader’s campaign tour continued from Serbia to Hungary, where Xi was able to highlight the countries’ good trade relations.
China is concerned about the EU Commission’s investigation into subsidies for Chinese electric cars. In Hungary, there is no need to worry about such concerns when the prime minister is in favor of Russia and China. Victor Orban Ready to trade and receive billions of Chinese investments with open arms. Of course, Orbán’s unique line was appreciated by China.
During Xi Jinping’s European tour, we heard a lot of talk, but little concrete. The visit shows China doesn’t mind a weakening West as long as trade isn’t affected.
Confucius said that people should lead and influence each other by setting a good example. It will also require more from superpower China.
