Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi seeks Eastern European support for Belt and Road Initiative
- Beijing looking to bolster support amid worries new EU leadership will adopt more hostile stance towards China
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi started a week-long tour of three Eastern European nations on Sunday.
Analysts said Wang’s visit to Poland, Slovakia and Hungary was aimed at garnering more support for the Belt and Road Initiative – Beijing’s transcontinental infrastructure project – and to try to expand China’s influence in case the new EU leadership adopts a more hostile approach to Beijing.
Zhao Junjie, a China-EU relations analyst from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a think tank affiliated with China’s State Council, said Wang’s trip could help strengthen China’s foothold within Europe, as Eastern European nations sometimes felt neglected by major European countries such as Germany.
“Now is a tricky time for Beijing, as Europe is going to change its top leaders, who might be more assertive against Beijing’s policies such as the Belt and Road Initiative,” Zhao said.
The newly nominated European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has warned of China’s negative impact on the European Union, which is the country’s largest trading partner.
“As Poland and Hungary are key Eastern European countries, better bilateral ties between Beijing and these two nations can help add to China’s sway in the region,” Zhao added.