PARIS – Chinese President Xi Jinping is due to make a state visit to France on May 6 and 7, Paris announced on Monday, with war in Ukraine and the Middle East expected to be high on the agenda.
The visit to France marks the Chinese leader’s first European tour since the coronavirus pandemic.
“This visit takes place on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries and follows on from the president’s visit to Beijing and Guangzhou in April 2023”, President Emmanuel Macron’s office said in a statement.
Xi is expected to visit Paris as well as the department of Hautes-Pyrenees in southwestern France.
The Chinese leader will stop in Hungary on May 8-10, the Central European country’s government announced last week.
“Exchanges will focus on international crises, first and foremost the war in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East, trade issues, scientific, cultural and sporting cooperation,” the Elysee office said.
According to the statement, Xi and Macron will also discuss “joint actions to tackle global challenges, in particular the climate emergency, the protection of biodiversity and the financial situation of the most vulnerable countries.”
China and Russia have ramped up economic cooperation and diplomatic contacts in recent years and their partnership has only grown closer since the invasion of Ukraine.
Beijing says it is a neutral party in the Ukraine conflict but has been criticised for refusing to condemn Moscow for its offensive.
The United States has accused China of helping Russia carry out its biggest militarisation since Soviet times.
After visiting France, Xi is due to visit Hungary.
Despite its small size, the Central European country of 9.6 million people has attracted a flood of major Chinese projects in recent years, mostly related to battery and electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing.
The Hungarian government boasted about having around 15 billion euros worth of ongoing projects originating from the Asian country.
Prime Minister Orban has been championing an “Eastern opening” foreign policy since his return to power in 2010, seeking closer economic ties to China, Russia and other Asian countries.
Last October, the Hungarian premier was the sole EU leader to attend the summit for Xi’s flagship Belt and Road initiative in Beijing.
On Thursday, Hungary’s nationalist leader spoke about his vision for a “sovereignist world”, where the “global economy is organised non-ideologically along the lines of mutual benefit.”
“Everyone can trade with everyone else. And the job of individual states is to build networks of connections that protect them from unilateral dependencies” the nationalist leader told CPAC Hungary, a gathering of mostly European and American right-wing figures.
