Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit Europe in attempt to repair relations ahead of US presidential election

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Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Europe next week for the first time in five years, as Beijing seeks to repair ties with the continent ahead of the US presidential election scheduled for later this year.

Tensions with Europe have increased on China's continued support for Russia's war in Ukraine, frustration with Chinese trade practices and a spying scandal in Germany, where three people were recently arrested on espionage charges, including an aide to a European lawmaker.

The nature of EU-China relations has changed significantly over the past five years, said Abigal Vasselier, director of policy and European affairs at the Mercator Institute of China Studies. The context has completely changed. Xi Jinping will arrive in Europe at a time when we have come to view China as a challenge to our security and prosperity.

The European Union has threatened to hit China's electric vehicle and green energy industries with tariffs on huge subsidies, according to the EU. giving Chinese manufacturers an unfair advantage. Member states are also considering a tougher approach to Beijing's support for Russia.

Speaking to reporters in Beijing this week, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Xi's trip would inject stability into the development of China-EU relations and make new contributions to peace and stability in the world.

Mathieu Duchatel, a senior researcher at the Montaigne Institute, said Xi's main goal is to neutralize the EU's economic security agenda, including its tariff threats, by exploiting internal differences.

There is a very strong element of divide and rule, Duchatel said of China's strategy towards Europe. It's not hidden but in plain sight.

Mr Xi is due to visit France, Hungary and Serbia, all countries where he can be expected to enjoy a more sympathetic audience. French President Emmanuel Macron sees himself as the continent's chief diplomat and has expressed a desire for Europe to exercise strategic autonomy from the United States in how it manages its relationship with China.

China wants Europe to keep its distance from the United States and its trajectory, Vasselier said.

Once a reliable friend of China, Mr. Macron has backed a tougher European stance on Chinese subsidies, complaining that Europe is not doing enough to protect its own market. The French leader is also expected to push for China to stop exporting dual-use civil-military technologies to Russia supporting its war effort, which analysts have suggested could be a new red line leading to new sanctions against Beijing.

But if there are tense conversations in Paris, Mr. Xi's stay in Budapest and Belgrade will be much easier. Both Hungary and Serbia are close to China and have benefited from significant investment from Beijing, including financial aid for a delayed rail project linking their capitals. Hungary has in the past blocked EU statements criticizing China on human rights and both countries have, like Beijing, resisted pressure to cut ties with Russia after the war in Ukraine.

Xi's visit to Belgrade will coincide with the 20th anniversary of NATO's bombing of the Chinese embassy during the Kosovo War. Beijing has never accepted Western explanations that the incident was an accident, and it remains a sensitive subject in China.

This aims to send a signal that China opposes any intention of NATO expansion, Ms Vasselier said.

She said Beijing wants a stable relationship with Europe, especially as the United States heads into an unpredictable presidential election and both candidates take a decidedly hawkish stance toward China. She predicted, however, that this would not stop the deterioration of relations, as Beijing has so far not responded well to European concerns about market distortion and Russia.

With a report from Reuters