During his upcoming trip to Europe, Chinese President Xi Jinping will seek to ease EU trade tensions and provide new momentum to Chinese economic presence and influence in Central and Eastern Europe by announcing new investment and infrastructure projects. Xi will travel to Europe for the first time since 2019 for a five-day visit starting May 5 that will take him to Paris, Budapest and Belgrade. In France, Xi will meet French President Emmanuel Macron for a bilateral meeting and again for a trilateral one alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, during which the Chinese president will seek to downplay China’s role in supporting Russia’s military effort in Ukraine while promoting the benefits of maintaining positive trade and economic relations with China for France and Europe as a whole. Macron will, in turn, use his meeting with Xi to discuss maritime security and promote de-escalation between China and…
