To Putin’s friends. Touring Europe

Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrived in Europe for the first time in five years and was surprised by the choice of countries to visit.

Xi Jinping has not been to Europe for five years, and now he came for five days. But not to visit Brussels. His trip was immediately called a provocation against the EU and the United States, China’s relationship with which continues to deteriorate. Xi will visit France and then go to Serbia and Hungary, in fact, the Kremlin’s main friends in Europe.

Conscious choice

Hungary blocks another package of sanctions against Russia and military aid to Ukraine. And Xi’s trip to Serbia falls on the 25th anniversary of the American bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade.

Both countries welcome Chinese investment and willingly borrow from China for infrastructure projects, while the rest of Europe is increasingly wary of Chinese technology and capital.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was the only EU leader to go to Beijing last fall for the anniversary of the One Belt, One Road summit, where he shook hands with Putin. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic was also there. He also met with Putin.

And while Emmanuel Macron will once again convince Xi to influence the Russian leader, Moscow will inaugurate Putin for another term after another pseudo-election, which the West considers a farce, and Xi as an excuse to congratulate his good friend on a confident victory.

Ukrainian question

When Macron came to China a year ago and asked Xi to put pressure on Putin to “bring Russia to its senses,” Xi did not respond with these words, never mentioned Russia, and never uttered the word war. And when Macron spoke about Ukraine at a press conference, Xi did not hide his irritation and even sighed several times.

China still does not condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Macron in Paris will again ask Xi to influence Putin. However, experts doubt this will happen because Xi views the world through the prism of a confrontation with the United States, China’s only political, economic and military rival in the competition for global leadership.

At this point, China does not consider other Western countries to be independent, and Russia’s aggression against Ukraine plays into its hands, because it ties up US money and resources on the one hand, and on the other , making Russia an outcast in the West. and driving it into China’s arms, giving it energy security and support for a nuclear power in the event of a conflict with the West. Following Putin, Xi called the war not a war, but a “crisis.”

The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, hopes that Xi will continue to contain the Russian Federation, despite “current nuclear threats.”

According to the head of the European Commission, China should also help prevent the supply of dual-use goods to Russia, which eventually end up on the battlefield. He added that it is also important for the relationship between the EU and China.

Truce and negotiation

Xi supported Macron’s idea of ​​a ceasefire in Ukraine, the Gaza Strip and Sudan during the Olympic Games in Paris. Macron welcomed Xi’s willingness to “ask all parties concerned for an Olympic truce at our future Games.”

“We believe together that this initiative can be an opportunity to work towards a lasting solution in full respect of international law,” Macron said.

Xi said China has never been a party or participant in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, but “plays an important role in ensuring peace.”

He added that his country opposes attempts to use Russia’s war against Ukraine to “scapegoat it, smear a third country or ignite a new Cold War,” noting that history repeats itself. which proved that conflicts can only be resolved in the end through negotiation.

Xi Jinping also called on the parties to continue contact and dialogue to build mutual trust and stressed that China supports an international peace conference that would be recognized by both Russia and Ukraine and “ensure equal that participation of all parties and fair discussion in all peace plans.”

“We support a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture in Europe,” he said.

Xi has also strongly resisted criticism of Beijing for its close ties with aggressor Russia during the war in Ukraine, The New York Times reports.

“We are against this crisis being used to shift responsibility to a third country, destroy its image and fuel a new Cold War,” Jinping said.

In addition, he recalled that “he was not at the source of this crisis, was not a party to it and did not participate in it.”

The NYT wrote that this harsh language was directed against the United States, which believes that China is buying large volumes of Russian oil and gas, and also continues to help Moscow in the war in Ukraine.

The United States believes China is providing the Russian military with satellite imagery, as well as fighter jet parts, microchips and other dual-use equipment.