xi jinping last visit to india

• Chinese President Xi Jinping's India visit: After six decades, a Chinese leader gets public welcome

Chinese President Xi Jinping's India visit: After six decades, a Chinese leader gets public welcome

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C hinese President Xi Jinping arrives in India Wednesday, making the first visit by a Chinese head of state in eight years, and underscoring the increasingly important economic and strategic partnership between the world’s two most populous nations.

Xi begins his three-day trip on Indian Prime Minster Narendra Modi’s 64th birthday, at Ahmedabad in Modi’s home state of Gujarat — another first, since no Prime Minister has received a foreign leader anywhere but New Delhi.

China is India’s largest trading partner (although the trade deficit between the two countries has been widening), and trade and investment will undoubtedly be foremost on both leaders’ minds. Beijing has already outlined plans to build two industrial parks , with multibillion dollar investments in both. There are also projects being discussed that will revamp India’s vast but outdated railway network.

“This visit presents a unique opportunity for Chinese industry to invest in India before Japan does,” says Swaran Singh, a professor at the Center for International Politics in Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) who specializes in India-China relations. “China will try and find a foothold for investment and technology transfer in this window.”

Modi’s recent visit to Japan was described as “ successful ” by the Indian media, with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledging $34 billion in investments to India and Indo-Japan ties receiving a significant boost. The personal warmth between Modi and Abe was also evident, and although Modi and Xi connected during the BRICS summit in Fortaleza, Brazil, earlier this year, it remains to be seen how that equation will progress this week.

Singh says Xi’s visit will fundamentally focus on “projecting the personal chemistry of two very popular, strong, pro-business Asian leaders.”

He adds, “Both of them see themselves at the helm for at least a decade. They will show how the relationship has progressed to the next level.”

Geo-strategic cooperation between the two countries is slightly trickier, and has been marked by contentious border disputes and maritime disagreements. While China lays claim to the Indian border state of Arunachal Pradesh, India says that the Chinese-occupied Aksai Chin region is part of Kashmir.

However, it increasingly seems that the border disputes will not occupy much of the conversation between Xi and Modi, at least not publicly.

Lieut. General Syed Ata Hasnain, a former Indian army officer who was part of a recent delegation to China, says the border issue was not brought up by the Chinese at all, and was largely ignored when he brought it up himself.

“My personal take is that China wishes to continue following a dual track policy of intimidating India along the LAC [line of actual control] and promoting cooperation,” he tells TIME in an email. But Hasnain also says China is “keener than ever for partnership and continued dialogue with India,” a sentiment that has been expressed by the Chinese as well.

“Politically speaking, the major objective is to try and eliminate distrust and elevate mutual trust,” says Zhao Gancheng, director of the South Asia Institute at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies.

India is also wary of China’s growing naval prowess and unhappy about Beijing’s perceived aggression in the Indian Ocean region. New Delhi could create a hurdle to China’s desire to establish a “maritime silk route” through Asia. Xi has already received the cooperation of Sri Lanka and the Maldives, both of which he visited en route to India, but Modi’s government is still on the fence.

“Even now, there is no clear view what will happen,” says Srikanth Kondapalli, a professor at JNU’s Centre for East Asian Studies. Kondapalli adds that India’s location and presence makes its cooperation essential for the route.

However, India is far more enthusiastic about the proposed Bangladesh-China-India-Burma trade corridor , commonly known as BCIM, which experts say is another issue bound to come up during the visit. “The BCIM route will play a big role, and I hope India gives a positive response to that because it would benefit all four countries,” Zhao says.

Zhao also rubbishes speculation that Xi’s overtures to India, and his decision to postpone his proposed Pakistan visit, signal a shift away from the historic Chinese ally. “The political climate in Pakistan is not appropriate for a head of state to visit right now, but Pakistan is a good neighbor to China and a very important element in its South Asia strategy,” Zhao says.

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Visit of President of China to India (October 11-12, 2019)

October 09, 2019

At the invitation of the Prime Minister, the President of the People’s Republic of China H.E. Mr. Xi Jinping will be visiting Chennai, India from October 11-12, 2019 for the 2nd Informal Summit. The two leaders had their inaugural Informal Summit in Wuhan, China on 27-28 April 2018. The forthcoming Chennai Informal Summit will provide an opportunity for the two leaders to continue their discussions on overarching issues of bilateral, regional and global importance and to exchange views on deepening India-China Closer Development Partnership. New Delhi October 09, 2019

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Chinese President Xi Jinping to meet PM Modi in Chennai on Oct 11-12 for second informal summit

The ministry of external affairs has said chinese president xi jinping will visit india on october 11 for a second informal summit with prime minister narendra modi..

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• Chinese President Xi Jinping to arrive in India on October 11 for informal summit with PM Modi
• Xi Jinping will be visiting Chennai from October 11-12: MEA
• The summit will be held in the coastal town of Mamallapuram, Chennai

Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit India on October 11 for an informal summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

At the invitation of the Prime Minister, the President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping will be visiting Chennai, India from October 11-12, 2019 for the 2nd Informal Summit, the External Affairs Ministry said.

The MEA added that the forthcoming summit will provide an opportunity for the two leaders to continue their discussions on overarching issues of bilateral, regional and global importance.

According to sources, no agreements, Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) or joint communique are expected to be signed during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to India, since it is an informal meeting. Chinese President Xi Jinping will be accompanied by China's Foreign Minister and Politburo members, on his visit to India.

The second informal summit will be held in the seaside temple town of Mamallapuram in Tamil Nadu. The informal summit is expected to focus on taking forward bilateral ties notwithstanding differences on several sticky issues.

The two leaders had their first inaugural informal summit in Wuhan, China on 27-28 April 2018.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit India from October 11th to 12th for the 2nd Informal Summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Chennai. Hope their Strategic guidance and friendship will usher China-India ties into a new chapter. Sun Weidong (@China_Amb_India) October 9, 2019

Earlier, Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong had said India and China should resolve disputes peacefully through dialogues at the regional level and jointly uphold peace and stability.

In an interview to news agency PTI, the Chinese envoy said both India and China should go beyond the model of "management of differences" and work towards actively shaping bilateral relations through the accumulation of positive energy and forging greater cooperation for common development.

The ties between India and China came under some strain after India announced the withdrawal of Jammu and Kashmir's special status and bifurcated the state into two Union territories.

What will be the agenda in Mamallapuram

In the Mamallapuram summit, the focus of the talks is likely to be on steps to ensure mutual development and expanding overall ties. The focus of the meeting is on improving people to people contact and on how to maintain peace and tranquillity on the India-China border.

PM Narendra Modi will hold one-to-one and delegation-level talks with the Chinese President. The meeting between them has no specific agenda but issues like terrorism, terror funding, support and sourcing are likely to come up during Chinese President Xi Jinping and PM Narendra Modi's talks.

The two leaders are likely to decide dates for the next Special Representatives talks.

Noting that the positive effect of Wuhan Summit is constantly unfolding, the Chinese envoy said, "We should go beyond the model of differences management, actively shape bilateral relations and accumulate positive energy. We should enhance exchanges and cooperation, promote convergence of interests and achieve common development."

Will Pakistan weigh on Indo-China meeting?

Wednesday’s announcement about Xi’s visit to India by China, coincides with the ongoing visit of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and its Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa.

Imran Khan who arrived on Tuesday held talks with Premier Li Keqiang and expected to meet Xi on Wednesday.

Khan's visit is taking place at a time when tensions have spiked between Pakistan and India after New Delhi ended the special status of Jammu and Kashmir on August 5.

Ahead of Xi’s India visit, China on Tuesday said the Kashmir issue should be resolved between New Delhi and Islamabad, significantly omitting its recent references to the UN and UN Security Council resolutions.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang's comments marked a significant shift in what China has been saying on Kashmir in recent weeks in the aftermath of India's move to revoke Article 370 of the Constitution removing the special status to Kashmir.

Even India has issued a statement on the coinciding of Xi's India visit with Imran Khan's China visit. Sources in the MEA have said, "India does not see Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's visit to China ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to India as hyphenation, it is of no concern to India."

"All countries, including China, have been told categorically and clearly that abrogation of Article 370 is totally Indias internal matter. There is no scope of discussion on this issue," the sources added.

The Wuhan summit

The first informal summit between Modi and Xi took place in picturesque Chinese lake city Wuhan in April 2018, months after a 73-day long face-off between the armies of the two countries in Doklam tri-juction in Sikkim sector raised fears of a war between the two Asian giants.

In the summit, Modi and Xi decided to issue "strategic guidance" to their militaries to strengthen communication and build trust and understanding.

Also read | Mamallapuram's ancient ties with China to give fillip to Modi-Xi summit

Also watch | Pakistan rattled over Modi-Xi Jinping bonhomie in Wuhan

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Xi Jinping to skip G20 summit in India, western officials say

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Henry Foy in Brussels, John Reed in New Delhi and Joe Leahy in Beijing

Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.

China’s president Xi Jinping is not planning to attend the G20 summit in New Delhi next weekend, officials said, in a blow to a forum of leading nations already beset by deep divisions.

Xi’s move to skip a gathering of G20 leaders for the first time comes after he dominated last week’s Brics summit , where he oversaw plans to expand the developing nations club that Beijing sees as a rival to US-led western groupings.

China plans to instead send Premier Li Qiang to attend the G20 summit in the Indian capital on September 9-10, according to three western officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Xi’s absence is likely to be seen as a setback for the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which has been using its occupancy of the rotating G20 presidency as a showcase for India’s expanding economy and growing geopolitical clout.

Xi’s non-attendance will also end hopes of a possible meeting with US president Joe Biden at the event. The two leaders last met on the sidelines of the last G20 summit in Bali last November.

Tensions between India and China remain high, particularly over disputes on their border in the Himalayas. An Indian government spokesperson declined to comment. China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The G20 is beset by myriad disagreements between its western members and some developing nations including China and Russia, particularly over the war in Ukraine and climate change. Diplomats have played down expectations of major breakthroughs at the summit.

Xi’s decision to skip the event would be a blow to its importance, western officials said. The Chinese leader travelled to South Africa for the Brics summit, where he said its planned expansion from five to 11 members “meets the expectations of the international community, and serves the common interests of emerging markets and developing countries”.

Xi had attended all in-person G20 summit gatherings since taking office as president in 2013, seeing it as China’s primary opportunity to assert its geopolitical primacy in the global competition against the US, said Zhang Baohui, professor at Lingnan University in Hong Kong.

“He never missed a G20 meeting before because it’s a vital occasion for China to try to shape the global narrative. G20 offers China that platform to outcompete the American messages,” Zhang said, adding that Li’s impact on the event would not be the same.

India and China have been at loggerheads for more than three years over their long-running border dispute, which flared into violence in which at least 24 people died in and around the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh in 2020.

New Delhi has said it will not restore normal relations with Beijing until the face-off at the border is resolved.

Western diplomats and Indian analysts say China’s officials have been difficult negotiators in working groups leading up to the summit on areas ranging from health to climate change.

Some Indians have speculated Beijing might be seeking to undermine the forum and its concluding summit at a time when India’s economic and demographic clout is growing and Modi is set to take centre stage.

“China doesn’t want India to have a successful G20 — it’s that simple,” said Indrani Bagchi, chief executive of the Ananta Aspen Centre, an Indian think-tank. “It took India a while to realise that its rise would be opposed tooth and nail by Beijing.”

Zhang said China would take care to explain to India why Xi was unable to participate to ensure that there was no diplomatic incident. Xi and Modi met at the Brics summit in South Africa, so they have had a recent chance to talk about their mutual border dispute, Zhang added.

Russian president Vladimir Putin also has no plans to attend the G20 talks, the Kremlin said last week. Putin missed the Bali summit too.

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C Raja Mohan writes: Japanese PM Kishida’s visit to India, Chinese president Xi’s trip to Moscow, and the rearrangement of great power and regional politics

C raja mohan writes: the stage is set for a restructuring of delhi’s geopolitics, as the rules governing the world that emerged at the end of the cold war come under escalating stress.

Visiting Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida ’s ambition to elevate the Indo-Pacific partnership with India and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow this week to consolidate the Eurasian alliance with the Russian leader Vladimir Putin are two elements of the unfolding geopolitical churn.

Beyond the great power realignment, there is also a recalibration of relations among major middle powers. Last week, to the west of India, we saw the unveiling of a thaw between the two long-time rivals — Iran and Saudi Arabia — at a ceremony in Beijing. Less noticed in India was an even more consequential development to the east — the first summit in nearly twelve years between the leaders of two major global economies and neighbours — South Korea and Japan.

If the Saudi-Iran entente was widely hailed as a diplomatic triumph for Beijing and a setback for Washington, ending the prolonged political chill between Seoul and Tokyo is being hailed as a major diplomatic win for the US and a big loss for China, which had been teasing South Korea away from the US and Japan in recent years. The US has made other gains on China’s periphery. It has managed to win the confidence of the new Philippines president Bongbong Marcos. The Philippines is an old treaty ally of the US that was drifting towards China under Marcos’s immediate predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte.

Equally interesting is the agreement between Germany and Japan last week to coordinate their policies on Russia and reduce their excessive dependence on China-centred supply chains. If you thought Europe and Asia are twains that shall never meet you could not be more mistaken today as the separation between the two theatres begins to break down.

The current dynamism in major power relations reminds us of Mao Zedong’s oft-repeated quote — “there is great disorder under the heavens. The situation is excellent”. Although Mao’s remarks were about China’s chaotic domestic situation in the 1960s, they could well describe the current international situation.

The realignment and dealignment underway is very much part of the emerging post-post-Cold War world. The rules governing the world that emerged at the end of the Cold War during 1989-91 have been under stress for a while now. The Russian aggression against Ukraine and the deepening conflict over Taiwan have accelerated the breakdown. The conflict envelops the economic and technological domains as well.

All countries, including India, are adapting to the breakdown of the old order at different speeds and with varying senses of urgency. In the scramble for a rearrangement of great power and regional politics, some trends are enduring and others are about short-term adjustments.

In the Middle East, the Saudi-Iran rapprochement could be seen as either tactical or strategic. If you are a sceptic, you might say one photo-op in Beijing is not going to overcome the deep contradictions between Saudi Arabia and Iran. You might also add that Saudis will find it hard to break up their hundred-year-old partnership with the Anglo-American powers. If you are a realist, you might note that the effort to limit the conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia is not an exception in the Middle East. The conflict between UAE and Saudi Arabia on the one hand and Qatar on the other was patched up in 2021. Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan is now trying to end his political rift with Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

Turkey and Iran face deepening domestic crises and have every reason to scale down their foreign policy adventurism of recent decades. Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which backed total US confrontation with Iran under Trump, are not so sure about Biden’s policies and are finding it wise to temper their conflict with Tehran. Meanwhile, the sharpening contradictions between Russia and China on the one hand and the West on the other, have given regional powers some room for bargaining with both sides. There are so many moving parts to this big picture, what we see today need not necessarily be what we might find tomorrow.

Consider the volatile domestic politics of South Korea. It is not clear if the current bold policies of President Yoon Suk-yeol, of befriending Japan and warming up to the US’s regional strategies will be sustained by the next president. Nor can South Korea’s deep economic relationship with China be overturned in the immediate future.

The shifting regional dynamic to the east and west of India demands an Indian diplomacy that is nimble, flexible and open-ended. More demanding on Delhi , however, is the profound transformation of the partnership between Russia and China. Since he became China’s leader, Xi Jinping has met Putin more than three dozen times. This week’s trip to Moscow will be Xi’s first since the Russian invasion of Ukraine and his re-election as China’s president for an unprecedented third term.

The expectations from the visit are running high as both Xi and Putin have talked up the visit in signed articles for Russian and Chinese media respectively. There is speculation that Xi might try and promote a peace settlement between Moscow and Kyiv.

Others suggest something else — Xi might choose to reinforce Putin’s position while talking about peace in Ukraine. Cynical observers say Moscow has done Beijing a great favour by tying down the West into a conflict with Russia in Europe, thereby easing the US pressure on China in Asia. Xi, the argument goes, has a huge stake in bolstering Putin.

Beyond China’s position on Ukraine peace, the long-term concern for Delhi is Putin’s growing dependence on Xi. There are at least three ways of looking at it from India. One view is that a weakened Russia will inevitably become a junior partner to China thereby making Moscow a less reliable partner for Delhi in balancing Beijing.

A second position argues that Russia-India relations are essentially immune to change. It insists Russia will always be an independent great power and that Moscow can keep the ties with Beijing and Delhi on separate tracks despite the growing Sino-Indian contradictions and deepening strategic bonds between Russia and China.

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A third view is less sanguine about the future of the Sino-Russian partnership and would hedge against the worst possible outcomes for India in relation to China. Might this involve building stronger strategic ties with the US, Europe and Japan? This basic direction has been set over the last decade even as Delhi has held onto its old ties to Moscow. The next few weeks might give us some clues on how India might navigate the turbulence in great power relations.

In May, Modi will travel to Tokyo to attend the G7 meeting and to Canberra to participate in the Quad summit. The PM is expected to travel to Washington for a state visit later in the summer. Delhi will also have a chance to host both Putin and Xi twice over in the coming months for the SCO and G20 summits. The stage then is set for a potential restructuring of India’s geopolitics in a rapidly changing world.

The writer is, senior fellow, Asia Society Policy Institute and contributing editor on international affairs for The Indian Express

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What to Know About Xi Jinping’s Trip to Europe

The Chinese president this week will be visiting France, Serbia and Hungary. His trip comes at a time of tensions with many European countries over trade and accusations of Chinese espionage.

By Emma Bubola

This week, for the first time in five years, President Xi Jinping of China is visiting Europe, with stops in France, Serbia and Hungary.

Mr. Xi’s trip comes at a time of tensions with many European countries over China’s support for Russia in the face of its war in Ukraine, its trade practices and its apparent espionage activities . The trip will also test Europe’s delicate balancing act between China and the United States.

Mr. Xi hopes to head off a trade war with the European Union as frictions rise over exports of Chinese electric vehicles and diminished market access for European companies in China. Mr. Xi will also encourage President Emmanuel Macron of France to pursue greater autonomy from the United States in a bid to weaken Washington’s global dominance.

Here is what we know about Mr. Xi’s trip, which began Sunday.

What is the significance of Mr. Xi’s itinerary?

The three countries Mr. Xi will be visiting, experts say , to varying degrees embrace China’s push for a redefined global order. All have to some extent questioned America’s postwar ordering of the world, and are eager to bolster ties with Beijing.

Hungary has close ties to China and is keen to attract Chinese investments in areas like electric car and battery manufacturing as Chinese producers expand beyond Asia. Serbia, too, has warm relations with Beijing and has secured billions of dollars in Chinese investment.

Mr. Xi’s first stop is France, where Mr. Macron recently said that Europe “must never be a vassal of the United States,” and has cast France as a bridge between the “Global South” and Western powers.

Despite his courting of Beijing, Mr. Macron has said he is still closer to its ally, the United States, than to China.

“I prefer to choose my relationship with the United States, with China, rather than have it imposed on me by one of the two parties, either pushing me in one direction or pulling me in the other,” he said in an interview with The Economist magazine. But, he added: “Very clearly, we are not equidistant. We are allies of the Americans.”

Before Mr. Xi’s visit, Chinese diplomats expressed hopes that ties between France and China would be at the forefront of China’s relations with the West .

Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, the E.U.’s executive branch, joined talks on Monday with Mr. Xi and Mr. Macron in Paris.

This year is also a symbolic one for China and the three countries.

It is the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and France and the 75th of those with Hungary.

This year is also the 25th anniversary of the NATO bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade, Serbia, during the Kosovo war, which killed three Chinese journalists and set off angry protests at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. Chinese authorities have continued to point to the bombing as a sign of NATO aggression and an example of why Russia was justified in feeling threatened before it decided to invade Ukraine.

When was the last time Mr. Xi visited Europe?

Mr. Xi’s last European visit was in 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic, which he spent hunkered down in China, leaving the country’s borders for the first time in the fall of 2022 .

The 2019 trip included a flashy ceremony in Rome to celebrate Italy’s participation in China’s Belt and Road global infrastructure project, which is aimed at expanding China’s influence abroad. France rolled out the red carpet for Mr. Xi in Paris and signed more than a dozen commercial and governmental treaties worth billions of euros, even as Mr. Macron warned that “China plays on our divisions” and that “the period of European naïveté is over.”

Mr. Xi also visited Greece , where he pledged his support to the country in its struggle with Britain to obtain the Parthenon sculptures known as the Elgin Marbles .

How is the relationship between Europe and China?

Since Mr. Xi’s last visit, there has been a widening rift in the relationship between China and much of Europe. The coronavirus pandemic , Beijing’s embrace of Russia and its repression of ethnic minorities, and a surge in Chinese exports have generated backlashes against China in many European countries.

China has quintupled car shipments to foreign markets in recent years, and the European Union has recently adopted a more confrontational tone over China’s trade practices. E.U. authorities have opened an investigation that could result in limits on Chinese solar exports, and have taken preliminary steps toward restricting trade with Chinese goods that include electric cars, wind turbines and medical devices.

Italy has also told China that it would no longer participate in its Belt and Road Initiative, and last month, six people in Europe were charged with spying for China in the span of a week, in a sign that European countries are stepping up their response to Chinese espionage.

At the same time, European nations vary in their views on how to engage with Beijing and benefit from economic opportunities there, and some are fearful of any imposition of European tariffs.

Mr. Macron and Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany also think that China’s leverage will be critical in bringing an end to the war in Ukraine.

David Pierson contributed reporting from Hong Kong, and Aurelien Breeden from Paris.

Emma Bubola is a Times reporter based in London, covering news across Europe and around the world. More about Emma Bubola

China's Xi praises French ties as Macron prepares to talk trade

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China’s president arrives in Europe to reinvigorate ties at a time of global tensions

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Paris on Sunday, kicking off a three-country trip to Europe, his first in five years.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s first trip to Europe in five years will start in Paris on Monday as the Asian giant rebuilds its foreign relations after a prolonged absence during the COVID-19 pandemic.

China’s President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan wave as they arrive Sunday, May 5, 2024 at Orly airport, south of Paris. French President Emmanuel Macron will seek to press China’s Xi Jinping to use his influence on Moscow to move towards the end of the war in Ukraine, during a two-day state visit to France that will also see both leaders discuss trade issues. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, Pool)

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Tibetan demonstrate Sunday, May 5, 2024 in Paris. French President Emmanuel Macron is welcoming China’s Xi Jinping for a two-day state visit to France. The state visit marks the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries and follows Macron’s trip to China in April 2023. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)

The plane carrying China’s President Xi Jinping arrives Sunday, May 5, 2024 at Orly airport, south of Paris. French President Emmanuel Macron will seek to press China’s Xi Jinping to use his influence on Moscow to move towards the end of the war in Ukraine, during a two-day state visit to France that will also see both leaders discuss trade issues. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, Pool)

China’s President Xi Jinping speaks to French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal as he arrives Sunday, May 5, 2024 at Orly airport, south of Paris. French President Emmanuel Macron will seek to press China’s Xi Jinping to use his influence on Moscow to move towards the end of the war in Ukraine, during a two-day state visit to France that will also see both leaders discuss trade issues. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, Pool)

A Tibetan woman demonstrates Sunday, May 5, 2024 in Paris. French President Emmanuel Macron is welcoming China’s Xi Jinping for a two-day state visit to France. The state visit marks the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries and follows Macron’s trip to China in April 2023. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan wave as they arrive at Orly airport, south of Paris, Sunday, May 5, 2024. Chinese President Xi Jinping kicked off a three-country trip to Europe on Sunday with the continent divided over how to deal with Beijing’s growing power and the U.S.-China rivalry. (Stephane de Sakutin, Pool via AP)

Tibetan demonstrate Sunday, May 5, 2024 in Paris. French President Emmanuel Macron is welcoming China’s Xi Jinping for a two-day state visit to France Monday May 6. The state visit marks the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries and follows Macron’s trip to China in April 2023. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)

Chinese President Xi Jinping is welcomed by French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal at Orly airport, south of Paris, Sunday, May 5, 2024. Chinese President Xi Jinping kicked off a three-country trip to Europe on Sunday with the continent divided over how to deal with Beijing’s growing power and the U.S.-China rivalry. (Stephane de Sakutin, Pool via AP)

Police officers take down a banner setup by free Tibet activists to protest the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to France, next to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, Saturday May 4, 2024. Xi Jinping will start the European tour in Paris on Monday, meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

PARIS (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping kicked off a three-country trip to Europe on Sunday with the continent divided over how to deal with Beijing’s growing power and the U.S.-China rivalry.

European carmakers are losing ground to subsidized Chinese electric vehicles . Diplomats fret about alleged Chinese spies in European capitals. And China’s continued defense trade with Russia worries anyone in Europe who supports war-ravaged Ukraine and fears that the Russian army won’t stop there.

But Europe and China have hefty economic ties — EU-China trade is estimated at 2.3 billion euros per day — and Xi appears determined to rebuild and deepen relations with European leaders after a prolonged absence prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Xi started Sunday in France, whose president wants Europe to have more economic and strategic independence from other world powers. Then the Chinese president heads to Serbia and Hungary, both seen as China-friendly and close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and recipients of substantial Chinese investment.

Xi’s trip will be closely watched in Washington for signs of diminishing European support for its key foreign policy goals. At the same time, there’s increasing uncertainty in Europe about future U.S. support for trans-Atlantic allies.

Xi was greeted at Paris’ Orly Airport by French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal — and by protests by groups demanding that France pressure China to respect Tibetan and Uyghur minority rights. Activists seeking a free Tibet attempted to unfurl a banner Saturday beneath the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, and protested in the French capital around the same time as Xi’s plane landed.

After arriving, Xi said he hoped the visit would bring ‘’strategic convergence’’ between China and France, and that further developing their relations would contribute to ‘’stability and positive energy in an turbulent world,’' according to a text provided to reporters at the airport.

On Monday French President Emmanuel Macron will treat the Chinese leader to formal honors of a full state visit. They will also meet with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who is expected to join Macron in pushing for fairer trade policies and for China to use its leverage with Russia to push it toward ending the war in Ukraine.

The EU launched an investigation last fall into Chinese subsidies and could impose tariffs on electric vehicles exported from China.

China claims neutrality in the Ukraine conflict but has refused to call the full-blown Russian assault on its neighbor an invasion, and has been accused of bolstering Russia’s capacity to produce weapons.

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Europe live: China’s Xi Jinping calls for closer ties with the EU at opening of Paris talks – as it happened

Chinese premier meets Emmanuel Macron and Ursula von der Leyen for talks, with trade and Ukraine on agenda

• 22h ago Summary of the day
• 1d ago Rule of law sanctions process to be closed for Poland
• 1d ago Italian government accused of using defamation law to silence intellectuals
• 1d ago German ministers to hold meeting after attacks on politicians
• 1d ago Xi Jinping calls for closer ties between EU and China at Paris talks
• 1d ago 'Our engagement is key', von der Leyen tells Xi
• 1d ago China's Xi arrives at the Élysée palace for talks
• 1d ago 'One of the greatest predators of press freedom': media freedom group protests Xi visit
• 1d ago What to expect today
• 1d ago Rights group calls on Macron to 'lay out consequences' for China
• 1d ago Welcome to the blog
• 1d ago Xi Jinping arrives in France with Ukraine and EU trade row at top of agenda

The trilateral meeting has kicked off.

China's Xi arrives at the Élysée palace for talks

Xi Jinping has arrived at the Élysée palace.

Ursula von der Leyen , the European Commission president, has arrived in Paris for the trilateral meeting with Emmanuel Macron and Xi Jinping.

Raphaël Glucksmann , a member of the European parliament and the lead socialist candidate in France in the upcoming EU elections, has urged Emmanuel Macron to be “firm” against China and “not to remain silent in the face of the crimes” against the Uyghurs. In an interview with France Inter radio on Monday morning he said it was wrong to roll out the red carpet in the way Macron has for the Chinese president. “You can receive him, you can talk to anyone, but not like this. Not by taking him to the vacation village of his childhood, to his grandfather’s house, not, as the Élysée puts it, by giving this visit a friendly setting because Xi Jinping is not our friend. In addition to deporting the Uyghur people, repressing the Tibetans and Hong Kongers, suppressing opponents and threatening the Taiwanese.” Glucksmann also claimed that China is killing French green tech putting solar panel companies out of business with its cut-price alternatives. “We used to have solar panel champions in France and Europe. Today, how many companies produce solar panels in France? There’s only one left. He added: “What I want for us is to no longer be the gall guys,” he said noting that when Canada sees distortions in trade with the Chinese it imposed tariffs of over 200%. “In Europe they charge 15%. That’s not a deterrent.”

'One of the greatest predators of press freedom': media freedom group protests Xi visit

As the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping , begins his visit to France, Reports Without Borders has protested in Paris over the imprisonment of journalists in China.

🔴 #China : RSF gathered in front of the Arc de Triomphe, one of the most famous monuments in Paris, this morning, to protest against the visit of the Chinese leader #XiJinping to France, one of the greatest predators of #pressfreedom in the world. pic.twitter.com/6ZTU2a3ETy — RSF (@RSF_inter) May 6, 2024

Ahead of his visit to France, Xi Jinping wrote :

One thing that has made China’s development possible is our firm commitment to opening up. We welcome more quality French farm products and cosmetics to the Chinese market to meet the ever-growing needs of the Chinese people for a better life. We welcome investment by companies from France and other countries to China. To this end, we have fully opened up China’s manufacturing sector, and will move faster to expand market access to telecom, medical and other services. We also have a 15-day visa-exemption policy for visitors from many countries including France, and we have taken further measures to facilitate travel and payment by foreigners in China. While opening up itself, China also encourages Chinese companies to go global. France is advancing re-industrialization based on green innovation, whereas China is accelerating the development of new quality productive forces. Our two countries can deepen cooperation on innovation and jointly promote green development. Some Chinese companies have set up battery plants in France. The Chinese government supports more Chinese companies in investing in France. And we hope that France will ensure that they operate in a fair and equitable business environment.

What to expect today

Chinese president Xi Jinping ’s visit to Paris, his first to the EU in five years, will aim to stabilise relations between both sides amid the threat of a looming trade war, a potential arrival of Donald Trump in the White House and the ongoing war in Russia.

Vladimir Putin visits Beijing in two weeks time and Emmanuel Macron will plead with Xi to use his influence with the Kremlin.

On Sunday, Macron told the Tribune paper in Paris that he did not want “move away from China” indicating efforts to avert a trade war involving potential tariffs on sales of Chinese electric cars in the EU and retaliatory threats to taxes on EU food and drink imports which could hit France’s Cognac.

Here’s the agenda for today:

10:30: Emmanuel Macron and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen meet

11:05: Trilateral with Macron, von der Leyen and Xi

15:00: Welcome ceremony at Les Invalides

16.05: Bilateral between Macron and Xi

17.00: Chinese and French delegations meet

17.45: Press conference

18.20: Closing speeches by Macron and Xi

19.00: State dinner at the Élysée Palace

20.15: Xi, Macron arrive with their wives for photo

Rights group calls on Macron to 'lay out consequences' for China

Ahead of Xi’s visit to Paris, Human Rights Watch called on the French president, Emmanuel Macron , to “stand firm on rights in China.”

“President Macron should make it clear to Xi Jinping that Beijing’s crimes against humanity come with consequences for China’s relations with France,” said Maya Wang, acting China director at Human Rights Watch.

“France’s silence and inaction on human rights would only embolden the Chinese government’s sense of impunity for its abuses, further fueling repression at home and abroad,” she said.

Human Rights Watch added:

Respect for human rights has severely deteriorated under Xi Jinping’s rule. His government has committed crimes against humanity – including mass detention, forced labor, and cultural persecution – against Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang, adopted draconian legislation that has erased Hong Kong’s freedoms, and intensified repression of government critics across the country.

Xi Jinping arrives in France with Ukraine and EU trade row at top of agenda

Xi Jinping has lauded China’s ties with France as a model for the international community as he arrived in Paris amid threats of a trade war over Chinese electric cars and French cognac.

On his first visit to the EU in five years, China’s president will meet his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron , and the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen , who will urge him to reduce trade imbalances and use his influence with Russia over the war in Ukraine.

Ahead of the visit, Macron told the French newspaper La Tribune that an update of relations was necessary “because China now has excess capacity in many areas and exports massively to Europe”.

In September 2023 the EU launched an investigation into whether to impose punitive tariffs to protect EU producers against cheaper Chinese electric vehicle (EV) imports that it says are benefiting from state subsidies.

Macron will try to talk Xi out of retaliating over the EV investigation, potentially with import duties on French cognac and agricultural goods.

The EU is also expected to raise suspicions that sanctions on exports to Russia are being circumvented by Chinese companies trading with its neighbour.

Xi said in a statement released on his arrival that ties between China and France were “a model for the international community of peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation between countries with different social systems”.

Read the full story .

Welcome to the blog

Good morning and welcome back to the Europe blog.

Today we will be delving into Xi Jinping’s visit to France and China’s relationship with Europe.

Send comments and tips to [email protected].

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Munich [Germany], May 7 (ANI): A Uyghur rights advocacy organisation, the World Uyghur Congress, released a statement opposing the ongoing Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Europe, claiming that China’s deepening ties with Russia are ignorance of the human rights abuses inflicted by China on the Uyghur community.

Chinese President Xi Jinping made his six-day visit to Europe, marking his first trip to the continent since 2019, with the exception of his trip last year to Russia.

“Despite recent developments within Europe, including arrests and charges related to Chinese espionage, as well as China’s deepening ties with Russia, European countries exhibit varying degrees of concern amid increasing views of China as a ‘systemic rival’. Xi’s trip aims to address criticism while highlighting areas that remain receptive to Chinese influence,” the WUC said on Sunday.

WUC president Dolkun Isa said, “France must raise the continuous human rights abuses committed by the Chinese regime inside East Turkistan, Tibet, and Hong Kong, as well as across Europe, with China’s growing transnational repression”. He also mentioned that “the Uyghur genocide must be raised publicly by the French President Emmanuel Macron, urging Xi Jinping to end the ongoing erasure of our people, reflecting the resolution adopted by the Assemble Nationale recognizing the Uyghur genocide.”

The statement read, “In France, the increasing trade deficit of the EU with China, as well as the war in Ukraine, will be on the agenda in the presidential meeting. Whereas particularly in Serbia and Hungary, the growing investment ties with China and the 25th anniversary of the bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade by NATO on May 7, 1999, will contribute significantly to Beijing’s enduring mistrust of NATO.”

As per WUC statement, “The World Uyghur Congress opposes the openness displayed by Europe towards the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and its leader, Xi Jinping. Particularly, Hungary’s position blocking the discussion on China’s human rights abuses and the Uyghur genocide is of concern, as well as the recent news on the China-Europe Railway Express, a train set to transport agricultural goods produced by Uyghur forced labour which left East Turkistan for Salerno, Italy on May 3.”

“In light of the EU forced labour regulation and due diligence directive, products made by forced labour, produced inside and outside the EU, and companies involved in these violations through their supply chains face bigger scrutiny. Yet, one thing significantly missing is the focus on Uyghur forced labour,” the statement added.

“France should nevertheless raise China’s state-import forced labour scheme and advocate for a strengthening of the EU’s trade tools against these violations. The WUC furthermore calls on Macron and Ursula von der Leyen President of the European Commission to explicitly raise Beijing’s abuses against Tibetans, Hong Kongers, and Uyghurs and take a strong stance against the CCP’s growing transnational repression, which endangers the lives of the community’s diaspora and the security and sovereignty of European nations” the statement by WUC said. (ANI)

This report is auto-generated from ANI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.

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China’s Xi Jinping is visiting Europe for the first time in five years – his goodwill tour will be an uphill struggle

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When Xi Jinping arrived in Italy for a state visit in 2019, he was given a lavish welcome , with private tours of Roman landmarks and a dinner serenaded by opera singer Andrea Bocelli, topped with a crowning flourish – Italy’s decision to join Xi’s signature Belt and Road infrastructure initiative.

Five years later, the Chinese leader has returned to Europe in a very different climate. Xi landed in France Sunday and, while the pomp and ceremony may remain during his six-day European tour, views on China across the continent have shifted dramatically since his last visit.

In the past weeks alone, the European Union has launched trade probes into China’s wind turbines and procurement of medical equipment, and raided offices of Chinese security equipment maker Nuctech as part of an investigation into subsidies. Germany and the United Kingdom in recent days also arrested or charged at least six people for alleged espionage and related crimes linked to China.

And in March, Italy formally exited the Belt and Road, costing the program its only G7 member country, in a blow to China and its leader.

Behind these developments are mounting economic grievances that have the EU preparing for a potential major trade confrontation with China — as well as growing suspicions about Beijing’s global ambitions and influence, driven by alarm over China’s deepening ties with Russia as it wages war against Ukraine.

“China is seen increasingly as a multi-faceted threat in many European capitals. But there are divisions within Europe over how fast and far to go in addressing concerns about China, both in the economic and security spheres,” said Noah Barkin, a Berlin-based visiting senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

Now, Xi’s trip — with stops in France, Serbia and Hungary — is an opportunity to woo his critics, but also showcase that even as views are hardening in some parts of Europe, others still welcome China with open arms.

Beijing is keen to dampen Europe’s push to address alleged trade distortions, which would come at a bad time for China’s flagging economy. It also wants to ensure Europe doesn’t draw any closer to the United States, especially amid uncertainty over the outcome of the upcoming US election.

Major breakthroughs with China’s toughest critics will be hard to come by unless Xi is ready to make surprise concessions. And the trip could instead serve to underscore divisions — not only between Europe and China but those within Europe that could play to China’s favor, analysts say.

Trade frictions

Xi’s visit started with one of his toughest critics.

The Chinese leader met European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen alongside French President Emmanuel Macron Monday.

Von der Leyen has spearheaded the EU’s rallying cry to “derisk” its supply chains from China over concerns about securing key technologies, and is driving a high-stakes anti-subsidy investigation , backed by France, into the influx of Chinese electric vehicle (EV) imports to Europe.

China earlier this year opened an investigation into the price of brandy imported from the EU in a move that could hit France’s cognac sector and is widely seen as retaliation for the probe.

During a joint press conference in Paris Monday, Macron said Europe was not looking to stir up trouble with its trade policy, but simply trying to stay sovereign. He also thanked Xi for keeping an open mind on the issue of French cognac. The two countries would continue their trade discussions, Macron said.

“China’s direct investment in France is three times lower than that of France in China. We need to rebalance this,” Macron added. “In sectors like electric vehicles, batteries as well as most cutting-edge technologies, digital platforms etc, I would like to see us (the Franco-Chinese cooperation) go a lot further.”

As for Xi, he called for closer relations between the two nations in fields including agriculture, finance, aerospace, nuclear power, and cultural exchanges .

According to Xi, China and France signed a total of 18 interdepartmental cooperation agreements during the visit.

Ahead of the visit, Macron signaled his desire to push Xi on economic ties, and reiterated concerns made by Europe and the United States that China is flooding global markets with cheap goods it can’t sell at home.

“I’m calling for an ‘aggiornamento’ because China is now in excess capacity in many areas and exports massively to Europe,” the French president said in an interview Sunday with French outlet La Tribune Dimanche, using the Italian word for ‘update.’

Xi, however, may win more goodwill during his one-on-one time with Macron, which is expected to include what Elysee sources described as more “personal” time in the Pyrenees mountains of southern France.

“France has built this reputation of being a fairly independent actor in the EU and willing to create some space with the US,” said Chong Ja Ian, an associate professor of political science at the National University of Singapore.

“Xi may want to work on Macron to see if he can get more European distance from North America,” as well as tightening his rapport with this important EU player, Chong said.

In a statement released by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs after his arrival, Xi said the two countries had throughout their relations set “a model for the international community of peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation between countries with different social systems.”

Push for peace

The war in Ukraine — a crucial sore point in Europe-China relations — is also on the agenda this week.

Beijing has appeared to do little to move the Kremlin toward European visions for peace in Ukraine, despite repeated efforts to push Xi to use his rapport with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin has said he plans to visit China this month, according to Russian state media.

In their joint press conference, Xi reiterated China’s stance on Ukraine, stating that Beijing has been playing an active role in promoting peace. He added that China is against any parties using the Ukraine crisis to incite a “new Cold War.”

Macron said: “The length and quality of our exchanges on this subject is a source of reassurance (for me).”

Xi’s visit comes as the United States and its European allies grow increasingly vocal about concerns that China’s exports of dual-use goods to Russia are powering its war machine. Beijing defends that trade as a regular part of its bilateral relations.

“At some point soon” Europe could decide to move more aggressively in sanctioning Chinese firms selling such goods, according to Barkin at the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

A warmer welcome

Xi’s stops in Serbia and Hungary are likely to be much less contentious — something the Chinese government likely factored in when mapping out the visit, observers say.

“In Belgrade and Budapest, Xi will not have to listen to the criticism he hears in other European capitals,” said Barkin. “Their leaders welcome Chinese investment, and they don’t have a problem with China’s deepening ties to Russia.”

Xi’s visit to Belgrade will coincide with the week of the 25th anniversary of NATO’s bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade that killed three. The attack, part of a wider bombing campaign by NATO in the Balkans during the spring of 1999, drove Beijing’s deep enmity for the alliance, even as the United States said it was an accident.

Any commemoration of the event by Xi could underscore the deep divisions between China and NATO, which Beijing sees as an embodiment of American overreach and a source of Europe’s security challenges – a view that has driven it closer to Russia.

Xi may also look to highlight Chinese investments in both Belgrade and Budapest in a message to the rest of Europe.

Non-EU member Serbia, which Beijing earlier this week described as an “iron-clad” friend, has seen growing trade and investment ties with China under President Aleksandar Vučić.

In January, the Balkan nation announced a deal that could see more than $2 billion of Chinese investment in wind and solar power plants and a hydrogen production facility, Reuters reported at the time.

In Hungary, Xi will look to deepen his relationship with increasingly authoritarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban – a useful ally for China in the EU, where he has blocked or criticized EU efforts to hold China to account on human rights issues.

The central European country has also emerged as an increasingly important production hub in Europe for Chinese automotive suppliers including EV makers – a situation that analysts say could help Chinese firms maneuver around existing and potential EU tariffs .

That means Xi is likely to exit his European trip on a very different note from the one he begins with.

“There, at least, the optics will be that there’s a lot of acceptance of Xi,” said Chong at the National University of Singapore.

This story has been updated with additional developments. Julen Chavin in Paris, Xiaofei Xu in Hong Kong and Shawn Deng in Toronto, Canada, contributed reporting.

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