Such forays by Xi with visiting leaders are rare. Diplomats say it underlines the importance Beijing attaches to this relationship with a key member of the EU as it looks for support against the U.S.
French President Emmanuel Macron and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands at a Franco-Chinese business council meeting in Beijing, China April 6, 2023. Ludovic Marin/Pool via REUTERS
Such forays by Xi with visiting leaders are rare. Diplomats say it underlines the importance Beijing attaches to this relationship with a key member of the EU as it looks for support against what Xi has called "all-round containment, encirclement and suppression" by the U.S. "In this sense, Macron is perhaps Beijing's most important partner in Europe," he said. Macron is often considered by diplomats to be an important driver of key policies within the EU.
"Isn't diplomacy, at one point or another, a bit of flattery?" he said. "There's always a bit of that in human relations. Each side plays with that." Washington is taking a wait-and-see approach to the European engagements with Beijing over Ukraine, according to the people, who declined to be named. On Thursday,to talk sense to Russia over the war in Ukraine while von der Leyen said Xi expressed willingness to speak to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
China upped its diplomatic spending by 12.2 percent this year, and leaders and senior officials from Singapore, Malaysia, Spain and Japan have visited over the past few weeks.
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