CHINESE President Xi Jinping will visit France, Serbia, and Hungary between May 5 and 10. The visit will mark Xi’s first trip to Europe since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The diplomatic visit comes at a crucial time amid escalating trade tensions between Beijing and Brussels as well as the West’s criticism of China’s close ties with Russia and its stance on the Ukraine war.
The war in Ukraine and tensions in the Middle East are expected to be high on the agenda.
Xi’s scheduled visit to Europe will take place just days after he meets with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, where he told his American counterpart that China and the United States should be partners and not rivals.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin also plans to visit China in May. However, it’s not yet clear whether Putin will travel to China before or after Xi’s trip to Europe. It will be the Russian President’s first trip abroad since he got re-elected following a landslide win in March.
