PARIS: After European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s calls a week ago to review EU economic and diplomatic relations with Beijing, all eyes are now on her joint visit with French President Emmanuel Macron to China. She will hold a trilateral meeting with French President Macron and President Xi Jinping on Thursday.
EU, French Presidents visit Beijing
Reports said that they would likely discuss commercial relations, including market access and reasonable competition practices, during the meeting. The European Union has alleged China of using tactics to blackmail smaller nations into downplaying criticism of Beijing policies.
In 2022, China was the 3rd largest business partner for European Union goods exports and the major partner for the alliance’s imports of goods, an important signal of where ties between the two lie.
Analysts said that Chinese President Xi Jinping will make efforts to convince some EU leaders to return to business as normal. According to Saudi Gazette, the visit of the French President indicates that economic cooperation between Paris and Beijing is still high on the agenda.
It added that Macron wants to discourage China from getting closer to Moscow, but some experts warn that there is not much space for maneuvering given that the nature of ties between Moscow and Beijing is highly strategic.
