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Key takeaways from China’s Xi European tour to France, Serbia and Hungary

Chinese president pushes vision for a more multipolar world and talks trade, investments and Russia’s war on Ukraine in first European tour in five years.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has concluded a five-day tour of Europe, after visiting France, Serbia and Hungary, where he touted Beijing’s vision of a multipolar world and held talks on trade, investments and Russia’s war in Ukraine.

In France, President Emmanuel Macron feted Xi with gifts of luxury bottles of cognac and a trip to a childhood haunt in the Pyrenees mountains, while in Serbia, President Aleksandar Vucic organised a grand welcome, gathering a crowd of tens of thousands of people, who chanted “China, China” and waved Chinese flags in front of the Serbian presidential palace.

In Hungary, President Tamas Sulyok and Prime Minister Viktor Orban also rolled out the red carpet for Xi, receiving him with military honours at the Hungarian presidential palace.

The tour marked Xi’s first trip to Europe in five years and came at a symbolic time for China’s relations with the three nations.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and France, and the 75th of those with Hungary. The trip also coincided with the 25th anniversary of the NATO bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade during Serbia’s war on Kosovo.

Xi’s main aim with the visit, analysts say, was pushing for a world where the United States is less dominant, and controlling damage to China’s ties with the European Union as trade tensions grow amid a threat of European tariffs and a probe into Chinese subsidies for electric vehicles that officials say are hurting local industries.

Here are the main takeaways.

No concessions on trade, Russia-Ukraine

Throughout Xi’s two-day trip to France, Macron pressed the Chinese leader to address Beijing’s trade imbalances with the EU – with the bloc running a goods trade deficit of 292 billion euros ($314.72bn) last year – and to use his influence on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.

Macron invited European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to join his talks with Xi, to underline European unity on calls for greater access to the Chinese market and to address the bloc’s complaints regarding its excess capacity in electric vehicles and green technology. The pair also pushed Xi to control the sales of products and technologies to Russia that can be used for both civilian and military purposes.

But the Chinese leader appeared to have offered few concessions.

Xi denied there was a Chinese “overcapacity problem” and only reiterated his calls for negotiations to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. Xi, who is expected to host Putin in China later this month, said he called on all parties to restart contact and dialogue.

“Both trade and Russia are non-negotiable for China. Macron could not achieve anything [on those fronts],” said Shirley Yu, political economist and senior fellow at the London School of Economics in the United Kingdom.

But she suggested the visit furthered Macron’s personal relationship with Xi, one that is part of the French leader’s strategy to make France a crucial partner to all emerging world powers.

“Macron shares one vision in common with Xi, which is that the US hegemony – including the quest for Europe’s allegiance to the US’s foreign policy – must yield to a multipolar global order by accommodating the rising powers’ interests and concerns,” Yu told Al Jazeera. Macron’s recent visits to India and Brazil also “prove that France wants to stay at the forefront of that global shift,” she added.

And despite the lack of concessions, French officials told the Reuters news agency that the visit allowed Macron to pass on messages on Ukraine and would allow for more open discussions in the future.

As for Xi, Macron’s talk of European “strategic autonomy” helps further the Chinese leader’s vision for a multipolar world. And while there was no apparent reconciliation on the economic front, Xi’s visit would help with “damage limitation” wrote Yu Jie, a senior research fellow on China at the Chatham House, a United Kingdom-based think tank. It could help prevent ties with Europe from worsening even more, as they have with the US, she said, amid the threat of European tariffs on Chinese goods and a probe into Chinese subsidies for electric vehicles.

Expanded economic footprint in Serbia, Hungary

In contrast to Xi’s stop in France, his visits to EU candidate country Serbia and EU member state Hungary were marked by pledges to deepen political ties and expand investments in eastern and central Europe. Both countries are participants in Xi’s signature  Belt and Road Initiative , the ambitious infrastructure plan which aims to connect Asia with Africa and Europe, and also have close ties with Russia.

In Belgrade, Vucic, the Serbian president, signed up to Xi’s vision of a “ global community of shared future ” and the two leaders hailed an “ironclad partnership” while also announcing that a free trade deal signed between their two countries last year would come into effect on July 1. Other economic promises included establishment of new air links between the two countries and taking in imports of Serbian agricultural products.

Yu, the political economist at LSE, said Xi’s visit to Belgrade on the 25th anniversary of NATO’s bombing of the Chinese embassy in the city, was meant to make “clear that China and Russia share a common objection to NATO’s east expansion”. It also “reveals that there should be no illusion that China will bow down to Western pressure to curtail economic partnership with Russia,” she said.

In Budapest, Xi pledged more investments in transport and energy, including the construction of a high-speed railway connecting the capital city centre to its airport and cooperation in the nuclear sector, according to Hungarian officials.

Xi also promised to move forward on a $2.1bn project to connect the Hungarian capital with the Serbian capital. The plan, which is mostly financed by a loan from China, is part of the Belt and Road Initiative.

All this demonstrates Xi’s keenness “to reintroduce the Cold War ‘Second World’ as a significant geostrategic player,” said Yu. “With China’s economic support, the periphery of the EU can become more significant European economic players, boasting higher speed of growth and delivering high-tech supply chains,” she said.

To China, Hungary serves as a gateway to the EU trade bloc and Yu added that Beijing’s growing partnership with Hungary could also “potentially deem the EU’s sanctions on Chinese EVs [electric vehicles] ineffective”.

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China's President Xi Jinping begins a 5-day tour in Europe

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China's president is in Europe for the first time in five years, at a point when Sino-European relations are particularly frosty. Will a Beijing charm offensive turn things around?

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Chinese President Xi’s trip to Europe: ‘Charm offensive’ or canny bid to divide the West?

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Fine brandy, a Tour de France jersey and old grudges against NATO: On his first European tour in five years, Chinese President Xi Jinping is engaging in a diplomatic dance that is seen by some as a concerted Chinese bid to stress-test the transatlantic alliance.

With Washington watching warily from the sidelines, Xi’s whirlwind visit this week has taken him to France, Serbia and Hungary, with a very different tone and agenda at each stop, but with some overarching goals in common.

Taken as a whole, the Chinese leader’s European trip is seen as both a charm offensive and a hard-nosed display of realpolitik on matters such as trade and the war in Ukraine — at the expense of a united Western front on both.

During the visit, Xi has nodded to traditional European centers of power such as France and the European Union — but also laid heavy emphasis on deepening ties with autocratic allies on the continent’s fringe.

In the peaks of the cloud-shrouded Pyrenees, Xi accepted a jersey from France’s famed bicycle race and joined President Emmanuel Macron in calling for a truce in all global hostilities during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

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In Serbia’s capital, Xi’s arrival coincided with the 25th anniversary of NATO’s mistargeted bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade — an episode that still stirs anti-Western fury among Serbian nationalists.

And in Hungary, cementing a Chinese economic footprint within the European Union, Xi offered warm praise for Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the illiberal leader who has been a thorn in the side of European allies in the more than two years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine .

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Some analysts saw Xi’s trip as meant to drive home the message that China will seek to counter U.S. influence wherever it can, and pointedly remind even close American allies to consider whether their own interests run counter to those of Washington.

“There’s lot of press commentary that the Chinese are engaged in a ‘charm offensive,’ ” Evan Medeiros, the former China director at the National Security Council, said in a video interview with Foreign Policy magazine.

While that may be so, he said, the three stops on the tour were specifically chosen in service of “advancing Chinese interests in ways meant to undermine the priorities of both the European Union and NATO.”

Other analysts also described the visit as a simultaneous act of wooing the West and seeking to divide it.

“It embodies Beijing’s skillful navigation of the delicate balance between aggressively advancing its economic imperatives and preserving amicable diplomatic relations, possibly even bolstering its sway in certain quarters of the continent,” political economist Sona Muzikarova, a political economist, wrote in a commentary for the Atlantic Council.

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Xi’s visit came as Europe and the United States are presenting a largely united front in support for Ukraine . But there are some cracks, and China showed signs it might seek to exploit them.

Weeks before Russia launched its war in Ukraine, Beijing and Moscow declared themselves in a “no limits” relationship — widely seen as in effect greenlighting Russia’s February 2022 invasion . But since then, China has portrayed itself as a neutral party in the Ukraine war .

That has been met with skepticism in Western quarters, but during Xi’s stop in France, Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, made a point of praising China for playing “an important role in de-escalating Russia’s irresponsible nuclear threats” in connection with the fighting in Ukraine .

But despite that gesture of conciliation, Von der Leyen and Macron made no visible headway in persuading Xi to use his influence with Russian President Vladimir Putin to bring an end to the conflict.

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Instead, Xi pushed back hard against assertions, primarily by the United States, that China has helped prop up Moscow’s war effort.

With Macron at his side, the Chinese leader declared that his government was “not at the origin of this crisis, nor a party to it, nor a participant.” And he said the Ukraine war should not be used as a pretext to “cast blame, smear a third country and incite a new Cold War.”

At the same time, Xi expressed broad support for peace, endorsing Macron’s call for an “Olympics truce” — a hiatus to hostilities in Ukraine and elsewhere during the Summer Games. But such a halt to fighting appeared unlikely to take hold in Ukraine any time soon.

As summer approaches, Russia has been aggressively moving to try to pierce Ukraine’s defense along the front lines and has launched a near-nightly onslaught of missile and drone attacks meant to smash the country’s power grid .

Like most of Xi’s diplomatic forays, this one is centered heavily on trade. Most countries have their own specific bilateral interests in dealings with China and use high-level meetings to try to advance them.

Macron brought up some particularly French concerns, including China’s threat of tariffs on cognacs. As a symbolic sweetener for his insistence, the French president’s gift offerings to Xi included an Armagnac from France’s southwest, one of the liqueurs at risk of the damaging Chinese sanctions. And in an equally symbolic move, the Chinese side said that for now, the brandies would have a reprieve.

Larger trade issues, though, are proving considerably more contentious.

China is upset about a European Union investigation, launched last year, of Chinese subsidies for its domestically produced electric vehicles for export. The EU considers the subsidies a threat to Europe’s auto industry, but some German carmakers have publicly objected to the investigation, fearing it could launch a trade war and harm joint ventures.

Macron and Von der Leyen teamed up during Xi‘s visit to argue the EU’s case on Chinese practices deemed predatory, but the talks did not include officials from Germany, Europe’s largest economy.

Muzikarova, the Atlantic Council political economist, said intra-EU trade disagreements gave China an opportunity to “deploy its signature ‘divide and conquer’ strategy,” noting that EU member Hungary “has been especially useful to this end.”

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In Budapest, the last stop on Xi’s European tour, the Chinese finalized a number of agreements with Orban that will significantly deepen economic ties, even while the EU has taken a more protectionist stance.

“We live in a multi-polar world order, and one of the main columns of this new world order is China,” the Hungarian leader declared after hosting Xi at his capital’s Buda Castle.

As Orban has found himself increasingly on the outs with other European leaders — over Ukraine, his government’s antidemocratic moves and Hungary’s warmth toward Russia — Xi lavished praise on the Hungarian prime minister.

Orban, a darling of U.S. conservatives aligned with presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, has worked to block NATO expansion and EU aid to Ukraine. In March, he made a pilgrimage to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort and declared that the former president, if reelected, could instantly halt the war by cutting off Ukraine assistance.

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In an ode that appeared in the pro-government outlet Magyar Nemzet on the eve of his visit, the Chinese leader praised Hungary’s “independent” foreign policy — comments seen as encouraging Hungary to continue defying the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the EU.

Serbia, for its part, used Xi’s visit to highlight its quarter-century-old grievance against NATO over the destruction of the Chinese Embassy in a U.S. airstrike, which came as the alliance moved against Serbia during the Kosovo war. Xi arrived in Belgrade on Tuesday night, coinciding with the bombing anniversary.

The two countries, which announced during the visit they are implementing a free-trade agreement beginning in the summer, also offered mutual support over the sensitive issue of territorial claims rejected by most of the rest of the world. Serbia backs China’s stance that Taiwan is not a sovereign country but a breakaway province, while Beijing supports the Belgrade government’s claim to Kosovo, which declared its independence from Serbia in 2008.

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Laura King is a Berlin-based reporter for the Los Angeles Times. A member of the Foreign/National staff, she primarily covers foreign affairs. She previously served as bureau chief in Jerusalem, Kabul and Cairo.

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Xi comes to Europe: what's on the agenda?

China's president visiting for first time since 2019, with spotlight on support for Russia over Ukraine and trade tensions with EU

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Xi Jinping is preparing to visit Europe for the first time in five years, amid rising tensions with the EU over trade and China's implicit support of Russia.

China's president will make state visits to Serbia, Hungary and France, beginning in Paris on Monday. German chancellor Olaf Scholz last week visited China, his country's biggest trading partner, but Xi's return trip "may lay bare European divisions over trade with Beijing", said Reuters . The EU is threatening to "hammer" the Chinese electric vehicle and green energy industries with tariffs, in response to "huge subsidies", which the bloc claims give manufacturers in China "an unfair edge".

The visits will be closely watched by Washington , after Congress last week passed a US military aid bill giving $61 billion to Ukraine and $8 billion to counter Chinese threats in Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific. China condemned the bill as a "dangerous provocation", said The Associated Press .

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What's the significance of the trip?

Relations between Europe and China are at " their most fraught point in decades", said Bloomberg . 

Xi's trip comes at a "crucial time" of Russian advancement in Ukraine, said Radio Free Europe (RFE), and before "potential fallout" from the US election in November . Xi will be looking to "repair some of the damage" to relations with Europe since his last trip in 2019.

European sentiments towards China have "soured", said The Diplomat . One of the "signature accomplishments" of Xi's last European tour was Italy becoming the first G7 country to sign up to China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). That has since "come undone". The Italian government withdrew from the BRI last year, as the much-criticised initiative "had not brought the promised benefits ". China's "patronising insults" over how European countries handled the Covid-19 pandemic "certainly did Beijing no favours".

Tensions over economics – once "the glue that helped bind ties together" – have deepened. But the issue "most responsible" for fraying relations, accelerating a process of China-scepticism that was already developing, is Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

China "claims neutrality" in the war, but Xi and Vladimir Putin declared their governments had a "no-limits friendship" just days before the invasion began, said the AP news agency. China has since "refused to call the Russian assault an invasion", and has allegedly supplied Russia with military technology . On a recent visit to China, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made these allegations clear. 

Xi is expected to host Putin soon after he returns to Beijing, putting that no-limits friendship under international scrutiny.

What's on the agenda?

Trade and investment are expected to dominate. The EU is scrutinising Chinese investment, and the European Commission has opened trade investigations that could ultimately penalise China's clean tech exports.

France sees Xi's visit, which marks 60 years of French-Chinese diplomatic relations, as an "important diplomatic moment", said AP. President Emmanuel Macron, who visited China last April, has "reiterated the need" for Europe to "rebalance trade relations with China", said Voice of America (VoA). The two armed forces last week agreed to a maritime and aerial cooperation, which Beijing called a "vital step" in the consensus between Xi and Macron.

An upcoming summit in Switzerland about the Ukraine war will also be under the spotlight, said RFE. It is "unclear" whether China will participate or boycott the talks, scheduled for June. 

Xi will then visit Serbia, probably on Tuesday – the 25th anniversary of Nato's bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade. That "major event" sparked long-standing friendly relations between China and Serbia. 

He will also visit Hungary: the first EU member to participate in Xi's BRI. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was the only EU leader to attend a conference in Beijing on the BRI, and has "courted Chinese investment and closer ties" as his relationship with Brussels remains thorny. Budapest announced a security deal with China in February that could allow for Chinese police patrols in the country.

What's the likely outcome?

Xi is likely to "double down on Beijing's close relationship with both Budapest and Belgrade", said VoA. He hopes to show that China remains influential in Central and Eastern Europe, said Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy, an expert on EU-China relations at National Dong Hwa University in Taiwan. The symbolism of those stops is important to Beijing "as an opportunity to amplify divisions within the EU".

Serbia and Hungary will "likely be rewarded with some investment deals and other agreements", said The Diplomat – but "few expect much real progress" when Xi is in France.

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Harriet Marsden is a writer for The Week, mostly covering UK and global news and politics. Before joining the site, she was a freelance journalist for seven years, specialising in social affairs, gender equality and culture. She worked for The Guardian, The Times and The Independent, and regularly contributed articles to The Sunday Times, The Telegraph, The New Statesman, Tortoise Media and Metro, as well as appearing on BBC Radio London, Times Radio and “Woman’s Hour”. She has a master’s in international journalism from City University, London, and was awarded the "journalist-at-large" fellowship by the Local Trust charity in 2021. 

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• INSTITUTIONS

BRUSSELS, Dec. 4 -- Under a visa-free entry policy effective from Friday, ordinary passport holders from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia are now able to enjoy visa-free travel to China for up to 15 days.

The policy, with a trial period from Dec. 1, 2023 to Nov. 30, 2024, was widely viewed as a boost to inbound tourism for China and a bridge for people-to-people exchanges, particularly with more Europeans planning their trip to this exotic country. It also marks a tangible move by China in pushing for high-level opening-up.

EASIER ACCESS

"This is indeed a very good policy. I hope that this policy can encourage tourists to travel to China again" after the difficult period of the COVID-19 pandemic, a French arts consultant who only gave his name as Jean-Pierre, told Xinhua.

The 72-year-old professional heard the news from his Chinese friends first. Prior to the pandemic, he made frequent trips to China, visiting such cities as Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Harbin, and Jinhua. Impressed by the hospitality of the people and nice travel experience there, he hopes to "revisit these cities as soon as conditions permit."

A French musician by the name of Fabien told Xinhua that the policy came out just in time as he was planning to go to Beijing to further his learning of Peking Opera, and also to southwest China's Yunnan Province for tourism.

"It's much easier to organize a trip on the spur of the moment or if the opportunity arises over a week or two," he said. "I can't wait to go back and learn what I needed to learn there and improve my Chinese too."

For 69-year-old French pensioner by the name of Irene, the new policy prods her to make another journey to China soon. Recalling her last visit to China, Irene voiced hope of visiting more provincial capitals and taking the express train between different cities. "China is a really attractive country for us here in France."

Italian resident Sebastiano Brusco told Xinhua that he has a China visit on his agenda, and this "good" and "necessary" policy helps people "visit China very easily."

Commenting on the new policy, Veronica Carrara in Rome told Xinhua that it is long-awaited good news.

"China is a beautiful country with a long history. You still have what came from the ancient times, and you don't forget the origins," she said. "That's why people should be able to visit China to learn from the Chinese how tradition is carried on."

"China has various aspects that attract me, both its urban and rural landscapes as well as its political life. Traveling to China offers the opportunity for firsthand experience and observation. And now, with the visa exemption, it's even more accessible," a fourth-year school student surnamed Jan told Xinhua in Berlin.

OPPORTUNITY TO KNOW REAL CHINA

Since the beginning of this year, Chinese inbound and outbound travel have both increased. According to Trip.com, in the first ten months of 2023, long-haul inbound travel, particularly from Europe, surpassed pre-pandemic levels. One day after the new visa-free measure was announced, visits to Trip.com's "China Travel Guide" Web page have surged by over 30 percent.

An increasing number of people are interested in knowing China and there is no better way than seeing the country with their own eyes.

"China has always been a focus for us and a country that's always in our internationalization plans because it's not only a country with great potential, as in some technologies it's ahead of us, but a country where our companies must seek presence," said Josep Maria Gomes, an international business developer with the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce in Spain.

"Tourism is also necessary to reveal a reality," he said. "Travel and visiting China can help dispel those cliches that very often are not true."

In the view of Luigi Gambardella, president of ChinaEU, a business-led international digital association in Brussels, the visa exemption for travelers from the major European economies will also facilitate managers of small and medium-sized enterprises to travel to China for business, exhibitions, and so on, which will also enhance confidence in investing in China.

"People need to gain first-hand experience to have a real understanding of a different country and a different culture. Many people's visits to China have changed their stereotypes of China," said Gambardella.

The visa-free policy represents a significant step towards global collaboration and understanding. "Such an extension would not only benefit a larger cohort of travelers but also mark a significant stride towards a more inclusive and cooperative international community," the business leader added.

Many believe that the visa-exempt policy offers more flexibility and freedom, allowing travelers to explore and experience at ease without pre-planning visas, and enabling businessmen and employees to make last-minute trips for meetings, conferences and negotiations without going through the hassle at consulates.

According to China's National Immigration Administration, 2,029 people from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia entered China without a visa on Friday, Day One of the visa-free policy. The number of arrivals from these six countries increased by over 12 percent from the previous day.

"China is such a beautiful country with great diversity. However, Westerners only know those typical cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Xi'an," Gambardella noted, adding that so many beautiful Chinese cities are worth visiting and are waiting to be explored by an inrush of international guests.

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Viktor Orban, Hungary’s Leader, Surprises Europe Again With Visit to China

Mr. Orban said his meeting with President Xi Jinping was part of a “peace mission” for Ukraine. But both leaders want to offset Western power.

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By Chris Buckley and Andrew Higgins

Just three days after a visit to Moscow that infuriated his European allies, Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary sprung another surprise on Monday by turning up in Beijing for previously unannounced talks with China’s leader, Xi Jinping, that featured promises to strengthen their countries’ robust relationship.

The visit to China, planned in secret like his trip on Friday to Moscow to meet President Vladimir V. Putin, is likely to intensify criticism in the European Union that the Hungarian leader is courting authoritarian leaders in defiance of the bloc’s stated foreign policy goals.

In May, Mr. Orban had given Mr. Xi a red-carpet welcome in Budapest, the Hungarian capital, bolstering China’s efforts to restore its influence in Europe at a time when the European Union as a whole is trying to contain the reach of a country it views as a “systemic rival.”

China’s official summary of their meeting on Monday in Beijing said they discussed their ideas to end the war in Ukraine, where both governments favor terms that Ukraine rejects as tilted toward Russia.

This meeting gave Mr. Xi and Mr. Orban, an outlier in the European Union on support for Ukraine and other issues, a chance to press the bloc to distance itself from Washington, with which Hungary also has strained relations. Hungary began its six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union this month, giving Mr. Orban a higher profile, though not much more influence, in European affairs. Still, Mr. Xi seemed to ask Mr. Orban to do what he could.

Mr. Orban has for years worked to curb criticism of China by the European Union, upsetting countries that support Washington’s hawkish position on the need to counter what they see as unfair Chinese trade practices.

Western European leaders have long distanced themselves from Mr. Orban, who delights in defying his nominal allies in pursuit of what he sees as Hungary’s national interest. When he visited Moscow last week, they emphasized that he did not speak for the European Union. They are likely to take a similarly skeptical view of Mr. Orban’s talks with Mr. Xi in Beijing.

Mr. Orban’s visit to China comes before a three-day NATO summit in Washington starts on Tuesday. At those talks, President Biden and other Western leaders are likely to offer Kyiv more support in its war against Russia, though not the NATO membership that Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, has urged.

For Mr. Xi, Mr. Orban appears to be another in a circle of diplomatic partners that he can use to show that Beijing is building its own network of support. Last week, Mr. Xi held talks with Mr. Putin in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan.

“China is an important stabilizing force for promoting world peace,” Mr. Orban told Mr. Xi, according to the Chinese account of their latest meeting. “Hungary highly appreciates and attaches importance to China’s role and influence.”

Mr. Orban had earlier described his trip to Beijing as continuing a mission for “peace” for Ukraine, a term that Hungary has used to describe a settlement built on Ukrainian capitulation to Russian demands. His visit to Russia last week was the first time a European Union leader had gone there for official talks with Mr. Putin since the first months of Russia’s invasion.

Before visiting Moscow, Mr. Orban met in Kyiv with Mr. Zelensky, which observers saw as a move by the Hungarian leader to try to end his isolation in Europe over Ukraine . On the plane back from Moscow, he told a Swiss journalist that his meeting with Mr. Putin had been planned in great secrecy after his visit to Ukraine so as to avoid the “big guys,” an apparent reference to the United States and its allies, from finding out about it.

The Chinese account of his talks in Beijing with Mr. Xi said “the two sides focused on a thorough discussion about the crisis in Ukraine.” Mr. Orban has been vague about how he envisages a peace settlement in Ukraine beyond calling for a “time bound cease-fire” to allow Moscow and Kyiv to start direct negotiations.

“Xi praised Orban’s efforts to promote a political solution to the Ukraine crisis and elaborated on China’s views and proposals,” the Chinese statement said.

Similarly, Mr. Xi has promoted what China calls a 12-point peace plan that calls for an end to fighting only in broad terms. But he has maintained strong ties with Mr. Putin, and China’s defense ministry on Sunday said that Chinese troops would take part in military exercises in Belarus, a neighbor and close partner of Russia, this month. The ministry said the joint drills would focus on “counterterrorist” operations and on the rescuing of hostages.

Chris Buckley, the chief China correspondent for The Times, reports on China and Taiwan from Taipei, focused on politics, social change and security and military issues. More about Chris Buckley

Andrew Higgins is the East and Central Europe bureau chief for The Times based in Warsaw. He covers a region that stretches from the Baltic republics of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to Kosovo, Serbia and other parts of former Yugoslavia. More about Andrew Higgins

Our Coverage of the War in Ukraine

North Korean Missiles:  Despite sanctions, Russia has received new shipments of North Korean Hwasong-11 ballistic missiles , according to a new report. Some of the missiles were used in Ukraine.

U.S. Election Issue:  At the presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, Trump repeated his claim that he can end the war  and refused to say if defending Ukraine was in America’s national security interests.

How Nail Salons Lift Morale:  Paying attention to beauty may seem a trivial concern when the very fate of Ukraine is at stake. But for many Ukrainian women, it is an important ritual of daily life .

A Tug Between Russia and Europe:  A falling-out between former political allies  in Montenegro has complicated the country’s efforts to join the European Union and curb pro-Russian influence.

How We Verify Our Reporting

Our team of visual journalists analyzes satellite images, photographs , videos and radio transmissions  to independently confirm troop movements and other details.

We monitor and authenticate reports on social media, corroborating these with eyewitness accounts and interviews. Read more about our reporting efforts .

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Chinese tourism in Europe - statistics & facts

What are the preferred destinations of chinese tourists in europe, what are the main drivers and obstacles of tourism from china to europe, key insights.

Detailed statistics

Number of tourist arrivals from China to Europe 2019-2022, by destination

Intention to travel long-haul from China to Europe 2023

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Travel, Tourism & Hospitality

Number of outbound visitor departures from China 2010-2024

Chinese tourist arrivals in selected European countries 2019-2023

Further recommended statistics

International tourism receipts worldwide 2006-2023

International tourism receipts worldwide from 2006 to 2023 (in billion U.S. dollars)

International tourism spending in France 2019-2034

International tourism expenditure in France in 2019 and 2023, with a forecast for 2024 and 2034 (in billion euros)

Destinations with the highest inbound tourism receipts worldwide 2019-2023

Countries and territories with the highest international tourism receipts worldwide from 2019 to 2023 (in billion U.S. dollars)

Leading inbound travel markets in Malta 2024, by Google travel demand growth

Leading inbound travel markets in Malta over the previous 30 and 90 days as of June 2024, by growth in travel demand on Google

Main inbound travel markets in the Netherlands 2024, by Google travel demand growth

Leading inbound travel markets in the Netherlands over the previous 30 and 90 days as of June 2024, ranked by growth in travel demand on Google

Leading inbound travel markets in France 2024, by Google travel demand growth

Leading inbound travel markets in France over the previous 30 and 90 days as of June 2024, ranked by growth in travel demand on Google

International tourism spending in Europe 2019-2034

International tourism expenditure in Europe in 2019 and 2023, with a forecast for 2024 and 2034 (in billion euros)

International tourism spending in Germany 2019-2034

International tourism expenditure in Germany in 2019 and 2023, with a forecast for 2024 and 2034 (in billion euros)

European countries with the highest inbound tourism receipts 2019-2023

Countries with the highest international tourism receipts in Europe from 2019 to 2023 (in billion U.S. dollars)

Travel operators transaction amount from inbound tourism in Japan 2015-2023

Transaction value of travel agencies from inbound tourism in Japan from 2015 to 2023 (in trillion Japanese yen)

Distribution of travel and tourism expenditure in France 2019-2023, by tourist type

Distribution of travel and tourism spending in France in 2019 and 2023, by type of tourist

Global travel and tourism expenditure 2019-2023, by tourist type

Total travel and tourism spending worldwide from 2019 to 2023, by type of tourist (in trillion U.S. dollars)

International tourism receipts in France 2010-2023

International tourism receipts in France from 2010 to 2023 (in billion U.S. dollars)

Leading inbound travel markets in Rome 2019-2023, by number of arrivals

Leading international travel markets in Rome, Italy from 2019 to 2023, by number of arrivals (in 1,000s)

Leading inbound travel markets in Milan 2019-2023, by number of arrivals

Leading international travel markets in Milan, Italy from 2019 to 2023, by number of arrivals (in 1,000s)

Forecast change in inbound leisure travel spending worldwide 2024-2033, by country

Forecast percentage change in inbound leisure travel spending in leading destinations worldwide from 2024 to 2033

Contribution of leading destinations to inbound tourism in European countries 2023

Contribution of leading travel destinations to international tourist arrivals in selected countries in Europe in 2023

Travel and tourism's total contribution to GDP in Greece 2019-2034

Total contribution of travel and tourism to GDP in Greece in 2019 and 2023, with a forecast for 2024 and 2034 (in billion euros)

Travel and tourism's total contribution to GDP in France 2019-2034

Total contribution of travel and tourism to GDP in France in 2019 and 2023, with a forecast for 2024 and 2034 (in billion euros)

Inbound tourism visitor growth worldwide 2020-2025, by region

Inbound tourism visitor growth worldwide from 2020 to 2022, with a forecast until 2025, by region

Inbound tourism visitor growth in Europe 2020-2025, by region

Inbound tourism visitor growth in Europe from 2020 to 2022, with a forecast until 2025, by region

Travel and tourism: share of GDP in the EU-27 and the UK 2019-2023, by country

Share of travel and tourism's total contribution to GDP in European Union member countries (EU-27) and the United Kingdom (UK) in 2019 and 2023

Leading global travel markets by travel and tourism contribution to GDP 2019-2023

Total contribution of travel and tourism to GDP in leading travel markets worldwide in 2019 and 2023 (in billion U.S. dollars)

Travel and tourism spending share in European countries 2023, by type

Distribution of travel and tourism spending in European countries in 2023, by type

International tourism spending in Italy 2019-2034

International tourism expenditure in Italy in 2019 and 2023, with a forecast for 2024 and 2034 (in billion euros)

Leading inbound travel markets in Turkey 2019-2023

Leading international travel markets in Turkey from 2019 to 2023, by number of arrivals (in 1,000s)

International tourism spending in Belgium 2019-2034

International tourism expenditure in Belgium in 2019 and 2023, with a forecast for 2024 and 2034 (in billion euros)

Inbound and outbound travel spending in Italy 2010-2023

Inbound and outbound travel expenditure in Italy from 2010 to 2023 (in million euros)

Total contribution of travel and tourism to GDP worldwide 2019-2034

Total contribution of travel and tourism to gross domestic product (GDP) worldwide in 2019 and 2023, with a forecast for 2024 and 2034 (in trillion U.S. dollars)

Leading European inbound travel markets in Italy 2019-2023, by number of tourists

Leading European inbound travel markets in Italy from 2019 to 2023, by number of tourists (in millions)

Global travel and tourism expenditure 2019-2023, by type

Total travel and tourism spending worldwide from 2019 to 2023, by type (in trillion U.S. dollars)

Leading inbound travel markets in Venice 2019-2023, by number of arrivals

Leading international travel markets in Venice, Italy from 2019 to 2023, by number of arrivals (in 1,000s)

Countries in the Americas with the highest inbound tourism receipts 2019-2022

Countries with the highest international tourism receipts in the Americas from 2019 to 2022 (in billion U.S. dollars)

Inbound tourism volume in Spain 2023, by travel reason

Number of international tourists in Spain in 2023, by travel purpose (in 1,000s)

Estimated demand for inbound tourism in Russia Q1 2014-Q2 2024

Estimated balance of demand for inbound tourism in Russia from 1st quarter 2014 to 2nd quarter 2024

Countries with the highest number of inbound tourist arrivals worldwide 2019-2023

Countries with the highest number of international tourist arrivals worldwide from 2019 to 2023 (in millions)

Inbound tourist expenditure in Italy 2019-2023, by country

International tourist expenditure in Italy from 2019 to 2023, by country of origin (in million euros)

Inbound tourist expenditure in Italy 2007-2023

Total international tourist expenditure in Italy from 2007 to 2023 (in billion euros)

Monthly number of inbound tourist arrivals in Europe 2019-2024

Number of monthly international tourist arrivals in Europe from January 2019 to March 2024 (in millions)

Annual inbound tourism expenditure on travel South Korea 1995-2021

Annual total expenditure of inbound tourism on travel to South Korea from 1995 to 2021 (in billion U.S. dollars)

Distribution of tourism expenditure by foreigners in Japan 2023, by origin of visitor

Distribution of tourism expenditure by international visitors in Japan in 2023, by origin of visitor

Leading inbound travel markets in Rome 2019-2023, by number of overnight stays

Leading international travel markets in Rome, Italy from 2019 to 2023, by number of overnight stays (in 1,000s)

Contribution of travel and tourism to GDP of India 2019-2023

Contribution of the travel and tourism sector to the GDP of India from 2019 to 2023, with projections for 2024

Distribution of travel and tourism expenditure in Malta 2019-2023, by tourist type

Distribution of travel and tourism spending in Malta in 2019 and 2023, by type of tourist

Distribution of travel and tourism expenditure in Turkey 2019-2023, by tourist type

Distribution of travel and tourism spending in Turkey in 2019 and 2023, by type of tourist

Distribution of travel and tourism expenditure in Europe 2019-2023, by tourist type

Distribution of travel and tourism spending in Europe in 2019 and 2023, by type of tourist

Distribution of travel and tourism spending in Italy 2019-2023, by tourist type

Distribution of travel and tourism spending in Italy in 2019 and 2023, by type of tourist

Share of travel and tourism expenditure in the Netherlands 2019-2023, by tourist type

Distribution of travel and tourism spending in the Netherlands in 2019 and 2023, by type of tourist

Number of inbound tourist arrivals in Russia 2014-2023

Number of inbound tourism visits to Russia from 2014 to 2023 (in 1,000s)

Leading inbound travel markets in Crete, Greece 2019-2023, by number of visits

Number of inbound tourist visits to the Greek Island of Crete from 2019 to 2023, by country of origin (in 1,000s)

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China's commerce minister to visit Europe ahead of EV tariff vote

The announcement of wang's europe trip followed the visit of spanish prime minister pedro sanchez to china earlier this week where he unexpectedly said the eu should reconsider its position.

The proposed final duties will be subject to a vote by the EU's 27 members | Image: Bloomberg

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First Published: Sep 12 2024 | 2:12 PM IST

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Electric Vehicles:

Spain Breaks EU Ranks With Sudden Call to Drop China EV Tariffs

• Europe doesn’t need a trade war, the Spanish premier says
• Sanchez speaks to reporters at the end of four-day China trip

The European Union should re-examine its plan to impose additional tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said during a visit to the Asian nation, underlining simmering EU divisions over the trade measure.

“I have to be blunt and frank with you that we need to reconsider — all of us, not only member states but also the Commission — our position towards this movement,” Sanchez told reporters Wednesday in Kunshan, China, following a four-day trip in which he met with President Xi Jinping .