{"id":5596,"date":"2023-04-07T16:51:04","date_gmt":"2023-04-07T16:51:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londonpost.news\/?p=5596"},"modified":"2023-04-07T16:51:04","modified_gmt":"2023-04-07T16:51:04","slug":"chinas-xi-woos-france-to-counter-u-s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/americas\/chinas-xi-woos-france-to-counter-u-s\/2023\/04\/07\/admin1\/","title":{"rendered":"China`s Xi woos France to “counter” U.S."},"content":{"rendered":"

GUANGZHOU\/HONG<\/span> KONG,<\/span> (Reuters)<\/span> –<\/span> China’s<\/span> Xi<\/span> Jinping<\/span> has<\/span> given<\/span> French<\/span> President<\/span> Emmanuel<\/span> Macron<\/span> an<\/span> unusually<\/span> lavish<\/span> welcome<\/span> on<\/span> a<\/span> state<\/span> visit,<\/span> which<\/span> some<\/span> analysts<\/span> see<\/span> as<\/span> a<\/span> sign<\/span> of<\/span> Beijing’s<\/span> growing<\/span> offensive<\/span> to<\/span> woo<\/span> key<\/span> allies<\/span> within<\/span> the<\/span> European<\/span> Union<\/span> to<\/span> counter<\/span> the<\/span> United<\/span> States.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> two<\/span> leaders<\/span> visited<\/span> southern<\/span> China<\/span> together<\/span> on<\/span> Friday,<\/span> where<\/span> Macron<\/span> was<\/span> due<\/span> to<\/span> drink<\/span> Chinese<\/span> tea<\/span> with<\/span> Xi<\/span> in<\/span> a<\/span> former<\/span> residence<\/span> of<\/span> his<\/span> father<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> city<\/span> of<\/span> Guangzhou,<\/span> capital<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> economic<\/span> and<\/span> manufacturing<\/span> powerhouse<\/span> of<\/span> Guangdong<\/span> province.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Such<\/span> forays<\/span> by<\/span> Xi<\/span> with<\/span> visiting<\/span> leaders<\/span> are<\/span> rare.<\/span> Diplomats<\/span> say<\/span> it<\/span> underlines<\/span> the<\/span> importance<\/span> Beijing<\/span> attaches<\/span> to<\/span> this<\/span> relationship<\/span> with<\/span> a<\/span> key<\/span> member<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> EU<\/span> as<\/span> it<\/span> looks<\/span> for<\/span> support<\/span> against<\/span> what<\/span> Xi<\/span> has<\/span> called<\/span> “all-round<\/span> containment,<\/span> encirclement<\/span> and<\/span> suppression”<\/span> by<\/span> the<\/span> U.S.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>“All<\/span> Chinese<\/span> foreign<\/span> policy<\/span> offensives<\/span> have<\/span> the<\/span> U.S.-China<\/span> relationship<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> background…so<\/span> to<\/span> work<\/span> with<\/span> any<\/span> country,<\/span> especially<\/span> mid<\/span> or<\/span> big<\/span> powers,<\/span> like<\/span> France,<\/span> is<\/span> something<\/span> they’ll<\/span> try<\/span> to<\/span> do<\/span> to<\/span> counter<\/span> the<\/span> U.S.”<\/span> said<\/span> Zhao<\/span> Suisheng,<\/span> a<\/span> professor<\/span> of<\/span> China<\/span> studies<\/span> and<\/span> foreign<\/span> policy<\/span> at<\/span> the<\/span> University<\/span> of<\/span> Denver.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Noah<\/span> Barkin,<\/span> an<\/span> analyst<\/span> with<\/span> the<\/span> Rhodium<\/span> Group,<\/span> said<\/span> China’s<\/span> chief<\/span> objective<\/span> was<\/span> to<\/span> prevent<\/span> Europe<\/span> from<\/span> aligning<\/span> more<\/span> closely<\/span> with<\/span> the<\/span> United<\/span> States.<\/span> “In<\/span> that<\/span> sense,<\/span> Macron<\/span> is<\/span> probably<\/span> Beijing’s<\/span> most<\/span> important<\/span> partner<\/span> in<\/span> Europe,”<\/span> he<\/span> said.<\/span> Diplomats<\/span> often<\/span> see<\/span> Mr<\/span> Macron<\/span> as<\/span> a<\/span> key<\/span> driver<\/span> of<\/span> his<\/span> important<\/span> policies<\/span> within<\/span> the<\/span> EU.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Macron<\/span> visited<\/span> China<\/span> with<\/span> European<\/span> Commission<\/span> President<\/span> Ursula<\/span> von<\/span> der<\/span> Leyen,<\/span> both<\/span> of<\/span> whom<\/span> put<\/span> pressure<\/span> on<\/span> China<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> Ukraine<\/span> issue,<\/span> but<\/span> failed<\/span> to<\/span> elicit<\/span> official<\/span> change<\/span> from<\/span> Xi’s<\/span> position.<\/span> rice<\/span> field.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Still,<\/span> Macron<\/span> got<\/span> the<\/span> full<\/span> treatment<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> red<\/span> carpet.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>In<\/span> a<\/span> critical<\/span> speech<\/span> before<\/span> his<\/span> visit,<\/span> von<\/span> der<\/span> Leyen<\/span> described<\/span> China<\/span> as<\/span> “oppressive”,<\/span> gave<\/span> a<\/span> low-key<\/span> greeting<\/span> at<\/span> the<\/span> airport,<\/span> and<\/span> was<\/span> not<\/span> invited<\/span> to<\/span> state<\/span> events<\/span> with<\/span> Mr<\/span> Xi<\/span> and<\/span> Mr<\/span> Macron.<\/span> We<\/span> cut<\/span> out<\/span> the<\/span> image<\/span> of<\/span> a<\/span> person<\/span> who<\/span> is<\/span> sometimes<\/span> overlooked.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>In<\/span> Washington,<\/span> China’s<\/span> diplomatic<\/span> relations<\/span> with<\/span> France<\/span> are<\/span> viewed<\/span> with<\/span> skepticism.<\/span> Beyond<\/span> Ukraine,<\/span> China<\/span> will<\/span> enjoy<\/span> a<\/span> rebalancing<\/span> closer<\/span> to<\/span> Europe<\/span> economically<\/span> as<\/span> relations<\/span> with<\/span> the<\/span> United<\/span> States<\/span> deteriorate,<\/span> but<\/span> that<\/span> change<\/span> is<\/span> unlikely<\/span> at<\/span> this<\/span> point,<\/span> according<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> administration’s<\/span> thinking.<\/span> Several<\/span> people<\/span> familiar<\/span> with<\/span> the<\/span> matter<\/span> said.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Washington<\/span> is<\/span> taking<\/span> a<\/span> wait-and-see<\/span> approach<\/span> to<\/span> European<\/span> and<\/span> Chinese<\/span> involvement<\/span> in<\/span> Ukraine,<\/span> according<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> people,<\/span> who<\/span> spoke<\/span> on<\/span> condition<\/span> of<\/span> anonymity.<\/span> On<\/span> Thursday,<\/span> President<\/span> Macron<\/span> urged<\/span> the<\/span> Chinese<\/span> government<\/span> to<\/span> discuss<\/span> the<\/span> war<\/span> in<\/span> Ukraine<\/span> with<\/span> Russia,<\/span> and<\/span> von<\/span> der<\/span> Leyen<\/span> said<\/span> President<\/span> Xi<\/span> Jinping<\/span> had<\/span> expressed<\/span> his<\/span> willingness<\/span> to<\/span> speak<\/span> with<\/span> Ukrainian<\/span> President<\/span> Volodymyr<\/span> Zelensky.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Xi<\/span> did<\/span> not<\/span> mention<\/span> a<\/span> possible<\/span> meeting<\/span> with<\/span> Zelensky<\/span> in<\/span> China’s<\/span> official<\/span> report<\/span> on<\/span> post-meeting<\/span> comments.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Mr.<\/span> Birkin,<\/span> an<\/span> analyst,<\/span> said<\/span> Mr.<\/span> Macron<\/span> didn’t<\/span> seem<\/span> to<\/span> get<\/span> much<\/span> out<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> visit.<\/span> The<\/span> courtship<\/span> of<\/span> Mr<\/span> Macron<\/span> is<\/span> part<\/span> of<\/span> a<\/span> series<\/span> of<\/span> diplomatic<\/span> moves<\/span> this<\/span> year<\/span> as<\/span> China<\/span> seeks<\/span> to<\/span> escape<\/span> US<\/span> containment<\/span> amid<\/span> disagreements<\/span> over<\/span> Taiwan,<\/span> the<\/span> Ukraine<\/span> war<\/span> and<\/span> US-led<\/span> technology<\/span> export<\/span> controls.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>China<\/span> has<\/span> increased<\/span> its<\/span> diplomatic<\/span> spending<\/span> by<\/span> 12.2%<\/span> this<\/span> year,<\/span> with<\/span> visits<\/span> by<\/span> leaders<\/span> and<\/span> officials<\/span> from<\/span> Singapore,<\/span> Malaysia,<\/span> Spain<\/span> and<\/span> Japan<\/span> in<\/span> recent<\/span> weeks.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>China<\/span> helped<\/span> broker<\/span> a<\/span> surprise<\/span> detente<\/span> between<\/span> Saudi<\/span> Arabia<\/span> and<\/span> Iran<\/span> in<\/span> March,<\/span> and<\/span> Beijing<\/span> masqueraded<\/span> as<\/span> a<\/span> Middle<\/span> Eastern<\/span> peacemaker<\/span> motivated<\/span> by<\/span> a<\/span> desire<\/span> to<\/span> build<\/span> a<\/span> multipolar<\/span> world.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>China<\/span> and<\/span> her<\/span> EU<\/span> engagement<\/span> will<\/span> continue<\/span> in<\/span> Beijing<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> coming<\/span> weeks<\/span> between<\/span> Foreign<\/span> Policy<\/span> Secretary<\/span> Josep<\/span> Borrell<\/span> and<\/span> Germany’s<\/span> Foreign<\/span> Minister.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

GUANGZHOU\/HONG KONG, (Reuters) – China’s Xi Jinping has given French President Emmanuel Macron an unusually lavish welcome on a state visit, which some analysts see as a sign of Beijing’s growing offensive to woo key allies within the European Union to counter the United States. The two leaders visited southern China together on Friday, where […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5598,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":""},"categories":[2400,2409,2425,24,26],"tags":[3510,3511,3512,3513,3514,3515,3516,3517,3518,403,433,3048,3057,3507,3508,3509],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/xi-1.webp","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5596"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5596"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5596\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5612,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5596\/revisions\/5612"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5598"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5596"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5596"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5596"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}