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Xi Jinping arrived in France, the first stop on his “Eurotour” that should last until the end of the week, and there he promised to support a peace conference to try to resolve the crisis in Ukraine. The trip is the Chinese leader’s first to the continent in five years and should also pass through Hungary and Serbia.
In Paris, Xi heard from French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that the bloc would not back down on its support for Ukraine. They demanded that Beijing take a more active stance in resolving the conflict.
“We count on China to use all its influence over Russia to end Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine,” Ursula von der Leyen told journalists at a briefing at the Elysee Palace.
She also thanked the Chinese leader for “playing an important role in reducing Russia’s irresponsible nuclear threats.” She added that she was “confident that Xi will continue to do so.”
Since the start of the conflict, Chinese companies have helped minimize the impact of Western sanctions on Moscow. The result was record trade between the two countries in 2023, reaching US$240 billion in 2023.
- The figure represented an increase of 26.3% compared to 2022, when bilateral trade had already shown growth;
- Chinese exports to Russia grew 46.9% last year.
According to the Xinhua agency, Xi told European leaders during the meeting that he would support convening an international peace conference to resolve the crisis in Ukraine “at the appropriate time.” He declared that China “did not start the conflict nor is it a party to it”, which is why he works to restore peace in the region. The Chinese leader said he opposes the attempt to use the war as an excuse to “defame or scapegoat a third country to instigate a new Cold War”, in a clear reference to Russia.
Diplomatic sources told the French press that during the meeting, Xi said that China does not supply and does not intend to supply weapons to Russia.
The meeting appears to have borne fruit for the Chinese side. After the meeting of leaders, French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire signaled that the country is open to investment in the electric car sector and even said that “BYD is very welcome” in the country.
The position contrasts with other European partners, who accuse Beijing of subsidizing the industry with irregular incentives, preventing local competition from competing on an equal footing.
Why it matters: the key words here are “at the appropriate time.” What would probably be appropriate for China would be a situation in which Ukraine feels it cannot regain occupied territory or defend what is left effectively, providing an incentive for Kiev to come to the negotiating table with Moscow.
Beijing will not lose the market and the precious relationship with Vladimir Putin, increasingly dependent on Chinese support on the international stage. He is also aware that his power to convince the Russian leader is limited, as a defeat would be considered a personal failure for Putin and would put his presidency at risk.
Stop to see
“The Violet Moon”, part of a series “Spaces” by painter Liu Kuo-sung moon. Born in nationalist China, Liu created most of his works in Taiwan. His big debut in the international art market, however, took place at the 1959 São Paulo Biennial, an event that established him as one of the biggest names in Asian modernist art. Read more about him here (in English).
What also matters
★ The China National Space Administration announced that the first part of the mission to send a robot to the dark side of the Moon has been successfully completed. The Chang’e-6 spacecraft took off from Hainan and is expected to approach the satellite over the next few days until it lands. The idea is to extract at least 2 kilos of lunar rock from the site and bring the samples to Earth in the second half of June. If successful, the mission will expand knowledge about the Moon and bring new clues about the formation of the solar system.
★ The Australian Ministry of Defense classified the maneuvers of a Chinese fighter on Monday (6) as “unsafe” and “unacceptable”. According to Australian Minister Richard Marles, a Seahawk MH60R helicopter from Australia was flying over the Yellow Sea when it was surprised by a Chinese fighter that fired flares. Canberra claims that it was a routine operation aimed at monitoring compliance with sanctions against North Korea. The Australian pilot managed to avoid the flares. “We have formally expressed our concerns about this incident and have formally expressed that this was unsafe and unprofessional,” Marles said in a statement. The Chinese Ministry of Defense has not yet commented on the incident.
★ The story of a man who woke up after a ten-year coma was one of the most popular topics of the week on Chinese social media. Wang Mingfeng became semi-conscious after a heart attack. A resident of Anhui province, he was married to Sun Hongxia, who gave up her job and dedicated herself to taking care of her husband even though doctors said he would never wake up from his vegetative state. To a local newspaper, Sun described that he spent the last decade taking turns taking sponge baths, physiotherapy sessions and dozens of hospital visits. His wife’s insistence on exercising her body daily maintained the health of her muscles and joints. On social media, Sun has been called the “angel of Anhui” and videos showing the couple’s routine have moved millions of Internet users.
Keep an eye
The Chinese property market shows no signs of recovery. According to the China Index Academy, property sales remain 30% below pre-pandemic levels (2019) and decreased in 19 of the 22 cities analyzed. In large metropolises such as Shanghai and Guangzhou, the drop reached around 60%.
Why it matters: Research by the China Index Academy highlighted that local authorities have tried creative solutions to overcome the problem, such as easing purchasing limits (usually, China limits how many properties a person can have to avoid speculation), but the measures remain fragmented and with limited impact in the short term.
As an alternative, major players in the market began to pressure provincial governments to purchase part of the idle stock, converting apartments and houses into affordable housing.
To go deep
- Registration is now open for a drawing competition promoted by the Chinese Embassy in Brazil that will reward the best works on the theme “50 years of Sino-Brazilian relations”. Registration runs until the end of May. Five winners will be awarded a Lenovo laptop. Additionally, the embassy also has another photo contest in honor of Mother’s Day, the rules of which are here. (free, in Portuguese)
- On the occasion of Xi Jinping’s trip to Europe, The Wire China produced a special showing how moods in the old continent in relation to Beijing vary and how the Chinese have approached local autocrats, such as Hungarian Viktor Órban. Read here. (porous paywall, in English)
