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Opinion | How Xi’s visit exposed the split in Europe over China
- For the EU, divisions between countries in western Europe and central and eastern nations present a strategic dilemma and a threat to the economic union
- For China, it’s now clear which states it can draw upon in its grand strategy to reassert global power
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On the first day of President Xi Jinping’s state visit to France, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen made a bold statement after meeting Xi and French President Emmanuel Macron. She warned that unless China changed its stance on trade – that is, by becoming fairer and keeping its economy open – the European Union would begin using a full spectrum of “trade defence instruments”.
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Put differently, she was warning of trade retaliation unless China adopted a new approach to its exports and imports. It was a curveball for France and China, and a sign of how different Europe had become, as Xi returned after five years.
In western Europe, the optimism that once surrounded a state visit by a Chinese leader has all but faded. Conversations about cooperation or development have turned into whispers amid a growing sense of friction, distrust and unshakeable divergence.
But in central and eastern Europe, China is experiencing something quite different. Hungary and Serbia are standing closer with China, creating a new dynamic in Europe where the west and east are moving in opposite directions, reminiscent of the Cold War.
One of the clearest signs was the new partnership between Serbia and China for a “shared future”. From July, their trade deal will take effect with about 95 per cent of Serbian exports to China becoming tariff-free in a decade. The impact of the alliance is clear from Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s remarks that the trade deal would “guarantee a future” for Serbia.
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Xi Jinping hails ‘new chapter’ for China’s relations with Serbia as Belgrade backs his global vision
Xi Jinping hails ‘new chapter’ for China’s relations with Serbia as Belgrade backs his global vision
Serbia’s future now hinges on a closer, deeper relationship with China, not the West.
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