President Vladimir Putin meets with China’s Xi Jinping as situation in Ukraine approaches

Putin’s arrival in China comes just over a week after President Xi Jinping toured France, Serbia and Hungary, a visit that some analysts say has exposed fault lines in Europe’s unity.

“Xi’s goal is to drive a wedge between the United States and Europe and demonstrate the limits of transatlantic solidarity against China,” writes Tara Varma, visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution. .

In France, Mr. Xi faced pressure from European leaders to use his influence on President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also reiterated their call for more balanced trade with China.

However, Mr. Xi made little concession. He denied that China has an overcapacity problem. Regarding Ukraine, he stressed that China is “not the root cause of this crisis, nor is it a party or participant.” There was no sign that he would ask Moscow to stop the war.

Mr. Xi received a red carpet welcome in Serbia and Hungary, where he vowed to deepen political and economic ties. Researchers at the Italian Institute of International Politics (ISPI) called it a “cautious expression of brotherhood towards China by Europe’s two most pro-China countries.”

But despite the attractive attack, Xi “seems more intent on exploiting the EU’s differing views on how to deal with China than finding common ground,” ISPI researchers said. are writing.