(VOVWORLD) -French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will pay a three-day visit to China on Wednesday. It will be the second official visit to China by European leaders in just one week, reflecting Europe's special interest in China, the world's second-largest economy, whose global influence is growing.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said President Macron will visit from Wednesday to Friday at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The public is paying attention to the visit, which will take place just a few days after Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s visit to China and a few days before scheduled visits by High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.
Analysts say the visits by European leaders are not a coincidence, and carry strategic and ambitious intention.
The EU’s calculation
The visits to China by European leaders come with the Russia-Ukraine conflict continuing to have a profound impact on Europe from many aspects, particularly security, defense, economy, and energy. China, which has growing increasing diplomatic and economic influence around the world, has been strengthening ties with Russia, which is under the pressure of thousands of sanctions by Europe, the US, and their allies because of the Ukraine situation.
On the other hand, the Europe-China relationship has been at a fairly low ebb since 2019 when the EU publicly identified China as a "systemic rival". Many European leaders see a need to repair the relationship in the new context.
Observers say the European leaders are coming to Beijing with a clear intention. Brussels wants to persuade Beijing to reduce its support and increase pressure on Moscow to end his military operation in Ukraine. Europe wants to strengthen cooperation with China, to achieve greater economic and commercial benefits. China is the EU's largest trading partner.
During a visit to China last month, Spanish Prime Minister Sanchez asked President Xi to hold talks with Ukraine’s President Zelensky. European diplomats have repeatedly expressed interest in China's 12-point peace initiative for the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Challenges and prospects
Analysts say the EU’s intention toward China in the current context is understandable, achieving its goals is far from guaranteed.
For one thing, President Xi just paid an official visit to Russia and met with President Putin. They issued a joint statement affirming that consolidating and deepening the China-Russia relationship is a strategic choice made by both sides based on their respective national conditions, and is not subject to external influence.
For another thing, the Ukraine situation is very complicated and involves many parties. Europe and the US have been supplying heavy weapons to Ukraine and have pledged to stand with Kiev.
With its growing international prestige, especially after successfully mediating a reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran, China is thought to be positioned to positively influence the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said China should use its influence on Russia to end conflict. Head of the Chinese delegation to the EU, Fu Cong, said China is ready to work with the EU to jointly promote peace in Ukraine.