French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen are visiting China today. “We need to find a new form for relations between the world’s main economic blocs,” says Europe correspondent Stefan de Vries.
According to De Vries, the visit comes at a delicate and complicated moment. “China is not yet abandoning Russia, and there is an understanding in Europe that China can play a decisive role in ending the war.” It’s been four years since Macron was last in China and a lot has changed since then, says De Vries. ‘Because of corona, of course, but also the relationship between China on the one hand and the United States and Europe on the other. We need to find a new form for relations between the major economic blocs of this world’.
Complicated chess game
According to De Vries, the fact that Von der Leyen is also traveling to China was a move by Macron. The French president hopes it will appear that Europe speaks with one voice, but the Chinese are not too enthusiastic about his arrival. “It really doesn’t have a story that all 27 member states support, because we in Europe have very different ideas about how we should deal with China,” says De Vries. “So it’s actually teetering on a diplomatic tightrope.”
“We actually have Europe’s back against the Great Wall of China”
Inevitable topics during the meeting, according to De Vries, are the economic retaliatory measures against the EU and the concern that China could meet Russia at war. He calls it “a difficult chess game”. Last week, Spanish Prime Minister Sánchez also visited China and a few months ago German Chancellor Scholz. ‘Europe’s major economies are reluctant to start a trade war with the Chinese, at the same time we are also nervous about Beijing’s growing military ambitions. It is not clear what to do with it, in reality we have European backs against the Chinese wall.’
Dialogue
For European leaders, the ideal outcome of the meeting would be for China to convince Russia to end the war in Ukraine. At the same time, they must make it clear that Europe will take a tougher stance towards China. “It’s going to be a really tough visit,” says De Vries. ‘When China is really convinced that the war in Ukraine is bad for the world economy and therefore also for the Chinese economy, only then will it really move. But the most important thing is that Europe and China continue to dialogue”.
Source: BNR
Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.
