CHINESE President Xi Jinping embarked on a three-nation diplomatic tour to Europe this week.
Xi visited France, Serbia, and Hungary between May 5 and 10.
The trip marked the Chinese leader’s first visit to Europe in five years hampered by the pandemic and political differences with the West.
French President Emmanuel Macron showered Xi with luxury bottles of cognac and a trip to the Pyrenees mountains. Macron used the opportunity to tell his Chinese counterpart to use his influence in convincing Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine as well as address trade imbalances in the European Union.
The Chinese leader hailed his trip to France as a model of peaceful coexistence for the international community and a turning point for the Europe-China relations.
In Serbia, Xi received a grand welcome from thousands of people, who waved Chinese flags in front of the Serbian presidential palace. He slammed NATO for bombing the Chinese embassy in Belgrade in 1999 and called for unity between China and Serbia during his visit to the Balkan country.
In Hungary, Xi and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán held talks in the capital Budapest, and signed multiple bilateral agreements.
