2024-05-07 13:02:22
Buddha visit… Trilateral summit with the EU
“Take an independent path like de Gaulle 60 years ago”… The summit calls for “strategic cooperation” and pragmatic diplomacy.
Macron receives the best hospitality, including dinner at the Elysee Palace
The agenda for the meeting, including China’s overproduction, is formidable.
“Europe is an important direction of Chinese power diplomacy and an important partner in Chinese modernization.”
This is the message delivered by Chinese President Xi Jinping, who visited three European countries (France, Serbia, and Hungary) for the first time in five years, visiting France, his first country. He emphasized the importance of Europe before starting a three-party meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the Elysee Palace in Paris on the 6th (local time).
In his opening remarks, President Xi repeated the expression ‘strategic’ five times, including ‘strategic perspective’, ‘strategic exchange’, and ‘strategic cooperation’. Although there are times when China and Europe are in conflict due to different systems, they are calling for ‘pragmatic diplomacy’ to strategically join hands in accordance with each other’s interests. There is an interpretation that this is a full-fledged attempt to shake the US-led Western sanctions network against China.
● “General de Gaulle’s strategic vision and foresight”
“Today’s world is entering a new area of uncertainty,” President Xi said in his opening remarks at the trilateral meeting. “I hope that Europe and China will continue to work, dialogue and cooperate together as important powers around the world.” They expressed their will to break away from the new Cold War structure between the United States and China and build friendly relations with Europe.
On the 5th, the first day of his arrival, President Xi praised the ‘strategic vision’ of Charles de Gaulle, the first president of modern France, who is considered the father of modern France, through an article in the French conservative daily Le Figaro. He said, “60 years ago, General de Gaulle had a strategic vision and decided to establish diplomatic relations with New China. “He has proven to be a visionary,” he said. He also said, “History is the best teacher for us,” and emphasized, “In a world that is far from calm, and in a situation where we are once again facing numerous dangers, let us cooperate in the spirit that led to the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries.” Just as General de Gaulle established diplomatic ties with China during the Cold War, even though it was not easy for him to make independent decisions, this can be interpreted as meaning that France and Europe should join hands with China even in the new Cold War.
In this contribution, President Xi hinted at the possibility of additional investment, saying, “Some Chinese companies have established battery factories in France,” and “The Chinese government is supporting more Chinese companies to invest in France.” It offered a ‘carrot’ to Europe, which was thirsty for investment due to the economic slowdown.
President Xi showed that he put a lot of effort into this trip by issuing an unusually written ‘arrival speech’ upon arriving at Paris Orly Airport the day before. In this speech, he commented, “Since the establishment of diplomatic ties, the two countries have consistently created a war model of peaceful coexistence and mutual benefit between countries with different social systems.”
China is also reporting extensively on this trip. President Xi praised the Chinese language skills of Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, whom he welcomed at the airport, and even reported in detail Prime Minister Atal’s reply, “I studied Chinese for a year,” revealing the ties between the two countries.
● ‘China overproduction’ was on the summit agenda
President Macron welcomed President Xi with an official welcoming event, including a review of the honor guard and the performance of the Chinese national anthem, at Les Invalides, where Napoleon’s tomb is located, this afternoon. Local media reported, “President Macron prepared the highest level of hospitality for President Xi, including holding a banquet at the Elysee Palace to attract investment from China, the world’s second largest economy.”
However, despite this close relationship, the topics before President Xi and President Macron were formidable, including conflicts over China’s overproduction and subsidies. In his opening remarks at the three-party meeting on this day, President Macron introduced that the main topics of the meeting will be trade conflicts and resolving the issues in Ukraine and the Middle East. In particular, he said, “I propose to address Europe-China relations by discussing conditions of trade and fair competition, investment and harmonious development.”
Chairman von der Leyen also said in front of President Xi, “There are difficulties in substantive economic relations between Europe and China,” and “I want to prove that our cooperation is effective (in resolving those difficulties).” requested. According to AFP, Chairman von der Leyen said before the meeting, “China is producing more than it sells due to sluggish domestic demand and is paying huge subsidies,” adding, “This is due to overproduction of subsidized Chinese products such as electric vehicles and steel. “It is leading to unfair trade,” he strongly criticized.
Paris = Correspondent Jo Eun-ah [email protected]
Beijing = Correspondent Kim Cheol-joong [email protected]
2024-05-07 13:02:22