Xi Jinping in Europe. What Makes His Trip So Special?

Chinese leader's feel-good trips in Belgrade and Budapest against a backlash from the EU

7 May 2024

Xi Jinping faces two very different versions of Europe. France’s President and the EU Commission President pressed Xi on complex subjects, but visits to Belgrade and Budapest will allow Xi Jinping to leave Europe on a high note, mitigating some of the damage caused to China’s image by deteriorating relations with other EU states.

Xi Jinping, Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party and President of the PRC, is visiting Europe between 5 and 10 May. This is the first time Xi has travelled to Europe since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Xi’s last trip to the continent in 2019, when he visited Italy and France, happened against a rosy backdrop. At that time, he witnessed the signing of multibillion trade deals, including an order in France for 300 Airbus planes worth 30 billion euros. Xi’s trip to Rome was also fruitful, as he secured Italy’s commitment as the very first G7 state to participate in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Xi’s landmark foreign policy initiative.

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Matej Šimalčík

Matej Šimalčík is the Executive Director of the Central European Institute of Asian Studies, a think tank that focuses on foreign and security policy issues related to East Asia. Matej's research looks at China’s economic and political presence and influence in Central Europe, elite relations, corrosive capital, and the role of European legal instruments in mitigating risks posed by China. He is also a senior associate at the Slovakia-based law firm Nechala and partners. Before that, Matej gained experience as an in-house legal counsel for the Slovak branch of Transparency International, a global anti-corruption watchdog, and several Slovak and Czech law firms.  In 2021, he was listed on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list (Slovak edition) in the Governance and Social Innovation category.

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