The host is Emmanuel Macron, the guest – Xi Jinping. The Chinese leader began his visit to Europe in France, where both presidents were joined by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
At the Elysée Palace, Emmanuel Macron's guest was not only Xi Jinping. Ursula von der Leyen also took part in the meeting with the President of China, alongside the President of France. The President of the European Commission says directly what she expects from Beijing.
– We hope that China will use all its influence on Russia to end its aggressive war against Ukraine. President Xi has played an important role in de-escalating Russia's irresponsible nuclear scare, and I am confident that President Xi will continue to do the same in the context of the continuing nuclear threat from Russia, said Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.
China has been conducting an intensified diplomatic campaign for several weeks
Xi Jinping came to Europe for the first time in five years. After France, he will also visit the Kremlin's allies: Hungary and Serbia.
China has been conducting an intensified diplomatic campaign for several weeks. Recently, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Beijing. Chinese diplomats met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The Macron-Xi-von der Leyen meeting in Paris is a rematch of last year's meeting in China with an identical lineup.
– The international situation requires dialogue between Europe and China more than ever before – said Emmanuel Macron, President of France. – China always views relations with the European Union from a strategic and long-term perspective, said Xi Jinping, President of China.
Emmanuel Macron took on Xi Jinping. Ursula von der Leyen joined the meeting. It's about trade and UkraineAndrzej Zaucha/Fakty TVN
Behind closed doors, the atmosphere could have been more tense. Before Xi's arrival in Paris, the website “Politico” wrote about “two emperors on the verge of two wars. The first war is Russia's attack on Ukraine, which Beijing could end if it wanted to. The second is an economic war.”
– The European Union and Beijing are one step away from a full-scale trade war. Macron is pressing Brussels to toughen its stance towards China as it floods the market with cheap electric cars. In return, Xi threatens to impose tariffs on cognac. This is a gesture that gave the French president and his domestic monopoly industry an unpleasant headache – says “Politico”.
It is no coincidence that the visit takes place just before the European Parliament elections
Other European publications believe that the Chinese president wants to drive a wedge between EU member states to complicate Brussels' proceedings regarding the above-mentioned Chinese electric vehicles, so it is no coincidence that the visit takes place just before the European Parliament elections. Additionally, relations are spoiled by a spy scandal. In April, several people suspected of collaborating with Chinese intelligence were detained in Germany, including an assistant to an MEP from the AfD party.
In an attempt to calm the mood, the French president invited Xi Jinping to his grandmother's house in the Pyrenees, where Emmanuel Macron spent his holidays as a child. This is a response to last year's gesture by Xi, who invited Macron to his father's house in Guangdong province.
On the occasion of the visit, the newspaper “Le Figaro” made its pages available to the Chinese president. Xi's Reporters Without Borders protest may have spoiled his humor. The international organization defending the rights of journalists reminded that freedom of speech is being trampled on in China.
– The president of China is not like any other president. When it comes to press freedom, he is a predator. The Chinese regime is detaining 119 journalists. China's great digital wall – a firewall – prevents access to free media. Worse still, China continues to export its propaganda model, hiding behind the appearance of good will, comments Thibaut Britton, representative of Reporters Without Borders.
On the occasion of Xi Jinping's visit, television and radio stations in Hungary and Serbia will broadcast a mini-series “Xi Jinping's Favorite Quotes from the Classics” prepared by Chinese propaganda.
The description shows that these are classic quotes from ancient Chinese books, used in President Xi's speeches and articles, which “are intended to convey his unique wisdom in governing.”
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Main photo source: Gonzalo Fuentes/PAP/EPA