French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited Beijing this week, among other things to urge China to act as a mediator in the war between Russia and Ukraine. According to Hoeks, the way they were received speaks volumes about the relationship between Europe and China. “One could say that a glamor offensive has been announced in China. Xi Jinping even leaves the capital to have dinner with Macron in Guangzhou in southern China. You can see it as a sign of enthusiasm for their visit.’
While Hoeks notes that negative sentiment toward America among the Chinese has only recently grown, he also sees that Europe is still viewed as relatively neutral. ‘People also realize that Europe is China’s most important trading partner. We are in fact married to each other, we have to go through a door together».
Mutually dependent
For Xi Jinping, the most important goal of meeting with European leaders is to strengthen trade relations, Hoeks said. “He is working to create more independence in China, but we are intertwined in many ways. They desperately need us for their development in high-tech areas.’
Conversely, Europe is also heavily dependent on China. For example, 93 percent of the “wave” needed to produce solar panels comes from China, but 63 percent of rare earth metals also come from the country. ‘These are critical sectors that we need to watch closely. China is not only a demand side, but also increasingly a supply side. If you were to decouple that, we would be faced with massive inflation and shortages of many products.’