Xi Jinping, his tour over, leaves behind a Europe split by how to deal with China
- The Chinese president upgraded relations with Serbia and Hungary, with dozens of deals expanding Beijing’s footprint in Central European critical infrastructure
- But in France, despite long-standing ties to President Emmanuel Macron, he made few if any concessions to reduce the flood of Chinese imports into the European Union
Chinese President Xi Jinping departed Europe on Friday after a tour that revealed the deepening divisions on how different parts of the continent deal with Beijing.
In Serbia and Hungary, Xi upgraded relations with China’s two closest allies in Europe. Belgrade, he said, was “an example for China’s friendly relations with other European countries”.
In Budapest, the capital of the EU and Nato member state seen most often as having autocratic leanings, Xi said that “China supports Hungary in playing a bigger role in the EU and promoting greater progress in China-EU relations”.
Hungary’s ties with China were elevated to the level of an “all-weather” comprehensive strategic partnership, on a par only with Belarus, Pakistan and Uzbekistan.
In both Hungary and Serbia, dozens of deals were signed to expand Beijing’s footprint in Central European critical infrastructure.
Eyebrows were raised in Brussels and beyond when Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban signed a nuclear cooperation pact with China that could see Beijing invited into the EU nuclear power network.
