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China-France relations
ChinaDiplomacy

As Xi Jinping heads to France, China seeks chance to sway one of EU’s most powerful members

  • Chinese leader to embark on first European tour in five years, but the pandemic, Ukraine war and change in China policy have sent ties into spiral
  • France wants Chinese investment in its electric vehicle sector while championing Brussels’ tougher trade measures against Beijing

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Illustration: Brian Wang
Finbarr Berminghamin Brussels
When Chinese President Xi Jinping touches down on European soil for the first time in half a decade on Sunday, he will find a continent that is much changed.
War has returned to Europe, with the more than two-year conflict in Ukraine showing no sign of stopping. The ravages of the pandemic have left scars that are apparent in the European Union’s quest for resilience and security. Both crises have helped put the bloc’s relationship with China into a spiral since Xi’s last visit in 2019.
Just before that 2019 visit, the EU revamped its China policy, adopting the mantra of “partner, competitor, rival” to describe its engagement with Beijing.
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Now Beijing has pinned its hopes on France, the first port of call on Xi’s three-country European tour, to push the bloc to adopt a more “positive and pragmatic” China policy amid heightened scrutiny over Chinese products and market access in recent months.
Beijing’s repeated call for the EU to uphold its “strategic autonomy” draws on an idea championed by French President Emmanuel Macron for the bloc to become the “third pole” of the world amid an intensifying US-China rivalry.
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“China looks forward to working with France through this visit to … further enhance political mutual trust, solidarity and cooperation, so that we can jointly elevate our comprehensive strategic partnership [and] inject impetus to a sound and stable China-EU relationship,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on Monday.

French President Emmanuel Macron (second from left), his wife Brigitte Macron, Chinese President Xi Jinping (second from right) and his wife Peng Liyuan attend a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris in March 2019. Photo: AFP
French President Emmanuel Macron (second from left), his wife Brigitte Macron, Chinese President Xi Jinping (second from right) and his wife Peng Liyuan attend a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris in March 2019. Photo: AFP
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