What message does Xi Jinping's Europe trip send about Sino-European ties?

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday concluded his first trip to Europe in nearly five years.

Over the course of six days, Xi's travels took him to France, Serbia and Hungary. By underscoring China's commitment to be an important partner of Europe and strengthening ties with the three European countries, Xi's Europe tour has provided strategic guidance for a healthy China-Europe relationship, according to experts.

Pursuing win-win, non-confrontational relations

In Paris, Xi, French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen held a trilateral meeting on Monday.

Xi said during the meeting that China always regards Europe as an important dimension in its major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics and an important partner on its path toward Chinese modernization.

This relationship does not target any third party, nor should it be dependent on or dictated by any third party, Xi stressed.

"The emphasis on independence is to indicate that one's destiny must first be in their own hands, and no target on any third party indicates opposition to Cold War mentality," Wang Yiwei, director of the Center for European Union Studies at Renmin University of China and also Jean Monnet Chair Professor, told CGTN.

Wang said such emphasis sends a message that China supports the strategic independence of the European Union (EU) and European countries in deciding their attitude and cooperation with China based on their own interests, rather than being disturbed or coerced by some false narrative, such as the so-called "China's overcapacity" narrative.

On Monday's meeting, Xi responded to the narrative by saying that China's new energy enterprises have not only enriched global supply and alleviated the pressure of global inflation but also significantly contributed to global climate response and green transition.

Whether viewed from the perspective of comparative advantage or global market demand, there is no such thing as "overcapacity," the Chinese president said.

Speaking during the meeting, Macron reaffirmed that the EU refuses the logic of decoupling and said that the EU hopes to step up cooperation with China and jointly safeguard the security and stability of value chains and supply chains in Europe.

"As long as China and Europe engage in mutually beneficial cooperation, no attempt to create bloc confrontation will succeed; as long as China and Europe stay committed to openness and win-win, deglobalization will not prevail," Wang said, citing the remarks by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, adding that this profoundly illustrates the growing strategic significance of China-Europe relations in a world intertwined with changes and uncertainties.

Providing guidance for healthy ties

In his visits to Serbia and Hungary, Xi and the leaders of the two Central and Eastern European (CEE) nations announced decisions to elevate bilateral ties.

This enhancement coincided with intensifying economic cooperation between China and the region. From January to March 2024 alone, China's investment in CEE surged by 36.35 percent compared to the previous year, reaching about $450 million. As of March 2024, the cumulative total of Chinese investment in the CEE region soared to $5.2 billion, according to Minister Peng Gang of the Chinese Mission to the EU.

In Hungary, Chinese automakers BYD and Great Wall Motor have decided to build factories to produce new electric vehicles. The Serbian section of the Belgrade-Budapest railway line, a flagship project of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, which has been constructed by a consortium of two Chinese companies, is set to commence operations by the end of 2024.

China's mutually beneficial relations with Serbia and Hungary, according to Wang, are "models for the synergy between Chinese modernization and European integration and for China-CEE exchanges."

As for Xi's state visit to France, during which the two heads of state reached a number of consensuses on further developing bilateral relations and agreed to consolidate the strategic stability of bilateral ties, Wang said it shows that China-France relations continue to serve as guidance for relations between China and Western countries.

He added that both the consolidation of China-France ties and China's upgrade of bilateral ties with Serbia and Hungary during Xi's Europe trip played a role in setting an example for China-Europe relations.

Ding Chun, director of the Center for European Studies at China's Fudan University, echoed the same.

He believes that Xi's state visits to the three European countries will provide strategic guidance for the sustained and healthy development of China-Europe relations, inject strong impetus into the further development of a China-Europe comprehensive strategic partnership, and promote stability and positive energy on a global scale.