What the Mainland Media SayBest of 'frenemies': ideological divide means China's warmer ties with Europe can only go so far
Western leaders are queuing up to strike deals with China, but in any future conflict they will still side with Washington
German Chancellor Dr Angela Merkel kicked off her eighth visit to China on Thursday, French President Francois Hollande will follow in her footsteps, and President Xi Jinping has just concluded a visit to the United Kingdom, where he and British leader David Cameron spoke of the "special relations" between the world's second and fifth largest economies, which had reached "new heights" in a "golden era".
State media hailed the recent warmth between China and major European nations as a milestone in diplomacy and a victory for Beijing that hastens the waning of US influence.
"Europe is developing ties with China with much greater determination than Washington," said the Global Times.
"It reflected the irrepressible trend that sees the rise of China's influence and the decline of US'," said the People's Daily.
Its overseas edition thought there was a lesson for Japan. "It seems Japan must not only learn from Germany, but also from Britain in developing ties with China," it said.
The latest development follows the diplomatic coup against Washington early this year, when Germany, France and Italy agreed to follow Britain's lead and join the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, despite strong opposition from the Obama administration.
Indeed the development has suggested China's growing importance to developed economies with its rising economic clout. It is a win-win situation for both parties, at least economically. China wanted closer ties with major US allies in the hope of checking US dominance in global affairs and to counter supposedly US efforts to contain the rising power.