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China-EU relations
ChinaDiplomacy

Next stop: Serbia? Chinese President Xi Jinping expected to visit Europe on trust-building tour

  • Amid strain over Ukraine war, China-US tension and trade rows, analyst says a potential Europe trip by Xi may help two sides reduce ‘misperceptions’
  • Trip has not been confirmed by Beijing and no official itinerary announced but speculation suggests Xi may stop in Serbia and France

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French President Emmanuel Macron meets Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Arc de Triomphe monument in March 2019. France is expected to be on the itinerary again when Xi visits Europe for the first time since the pandemic. Photo: Reuters
Kawala Xie
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s possible trip to Europe is seen as another step towards rebuilding trust with the continent, as both sides eye pragmatic cooperation despite geopolitical frictions, according to observers.
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Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s announcement of Xi’s coming visit to his country offered the first confirmation of the Chinese leader’s trip to Europe this year, after months of speculation about his plan to visit the continent. Beijing has not confirmed Xi will visit Europe this year or indicated a potential itinerary.
France is also expected to be a stop on his trip after Xi accepted Emmanuel Macron’s invitation to visit during the French president’s visit to China last year.

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If the trip to Europe is confirmed, it would mark Xi’s first Europe tour since resuming in-person diplomacy following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ding Yifan, a Europe specialist at the State Council’s Development Research Centre, said a trip by Xi would be a chance for China and Europe to reduce “misperceptions” about each other.

“The mass media in China thinks Europe is a follower of the US … the mainstream media in Europe also thinks China supports Russia [in the Ukraine conflict],” he said.

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“The main thing is that the two sides are caught in tensions and do not trust each other. Therefore, these political leaders want to strengthen communication through these political exchanges.”

China’s relations with Europe have been largely strained in recent years over the Ukraine conflict and escalating rivalries between Beijing and Washington. While many European countries remain suspicious over Beijing’s ties with Moscow, they are also under immense pressure to join US efforts to limit China’s access to critical material and technologies over national security concerns.

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