Chinese President Xi Jinping began his tour of Europe on Sunday with a visit to France. Over the next five days, he will also visit Hungary and Serbia.
In Paris, Xi Jinping will talk with French President Emmanuel Macrone and the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is also expected to participate in the meeting.
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The topic of the talks will be economic relations between China and the European Union, which threatens, among others, introducing tariffs on Chinese electric cars. The issue of the war in Ukraine is also expected to be discussed, including the participation of Chinese representatives in the peace conference to be held in Switzerland in June.
Visit to Hungary and Serbia
President Xi will next visit Serbia, where he will meet with President Aleksandar Vucic. This visit coincides with the 25th anniversary of the bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade by NATO forces, which took place on May 7, 1999. Three Chinese people lost their lives.
Xi JinpingShutterstock
Xi will then travel to Hungary to meet Prime Minister Viktor Orban. According to political scientists, the talks held in Budapest and Belgrade are intended to strengthen the relations between these capitals and Beijing, as well as to open local markets to Chinese investments.
This is the Chinese president's first trip to Europe since 2019. Five years ago, he visited France, Italy and Monaco.
Main photo source: Shutterstock