Chinese President Xi Jinping returned to Europe after 5 years. Received with all the honors in Paris, he was not cared for, writes Știrileprotv.ro
The head of the European Commission, also present in the French capital, conveyed to the Beijing official that the Union market is flooded with cheap steel and electric cars from China, which risks leading to deindustrialization.
After the official welcome ceremony, organized with great pomp at the Dome of the Invalides, Emmanuel Macron and his Chinese guest retired for a tête-à-tête where they discussed the political aspects of the visit.
Macron and Xi want an “Olympic truce”
Then, the two leaders called for an “Olympic truce” for all conflicts in the world during the summer games in Paris.
Xi Jinping, President of China: “Today’s world is not very peaceful. As a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and a state with important responsibilities, China is willing to work with France to view the Paris Olympics as an opportunity to support a global ceasefire and an end to war during the Olympic Games”.
Emmanuel Macron tried – again – to convince Xi Jinging to use the leverage he has over Moscow to help resolve the conflict in Ukraine. In addition, he asked his Chinese counterpart to halt exports to Russia of technologies supporting the war effort.
Emmanuel Macron, President of France: “We welcome commitments by the Chinese authorities to refrain from selling arms or sending aid to Moscow and to impose strict controls on the export of dual-use goods.”
In the evening, Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, attended the dinner given in honor of their visit to the Elysee Palace. Among the guests was American actress Salma Hayek, married to French businessman François-Henri Pinault.
The president of the European Commission joined the talks on Monday between the French officials and the members of the Chinese delegation.
Von der Leyen caught Xi’s attention
Threatened to be caught in the middle between the American and Chinese economies, the European Union has in recent months intensified its investigations into the massive subsidies granted by China in several industrial sectors, especially in the field of electric vehicles.
The Chinese authorities denounced these measures as protectionist and, in retaliation, launched their own anti-subsidy investigation, mainly targeting French cognac.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission: “We discussed the trade imbalances that remain significant, a cause of great concern for us. For fair trade, each party’s access to the other’s market must be reciprocal. I am confident that we can improve these aspects. At the same time, we Europeans are ready to resort to defensive commercial instruments if necessary. We cannot accept practices that distort the market and could lead to deindustrialization in Europe”.
With China’s economy going through relatively difficult times and the United States showing signs of closing itself more and more to Chinese companies, the European Union could have some influence on Beijing.
But it is undermined, analysts believe, by internal disagreements, and the 27 member states do not seem able to align their positions.
For example, more firmly, Macron warned that the bloc risks falling behind dramatically if it does not allow derogations from its own competition rules in the face of “excessive subsidies” from China and the United States.
Instead, keen to avoid antagonizing Beijing, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has publicly stated that the EU should not act out of protectionist self-interest. China is a key market for Germany’s export-based economy and its major automakers.
