The visit of French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to China has opened a new chapter in the relationship between Europe and China, albeit “without the previous sense of enthusiasm,” Francesco Sisci, a professor in the Center for European Studies at Beijing-based Renmin University of China, told TASS in an interview on Friday.
“The visit was interesting. It opened a new chapter in Europe’s relations with China. What transpired was essentially a balancing act, but without the previous sense of enthusiasm [exhibited by the parties],” said the Italian analyst, who is also an academic adviser to Limes, Italian Review of Geopolitics.
He noted that, “The chill in relations between China and the US has also not abated.”
According to Sisci, “Macron and von der Leyen have obtained China’s consent to this shift in the relationship.” The analyst cautioned, however, that China, in his view, has not taken any new obligations upon itself for “a more active role for Beijing in containing Russia.”
The French leader arrived in China on a state visit on Wednesday. The European Commission president arrived in China at the same time. Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Macron and von der Leyen in Beijing on Thursday. The issue of resolving the Ukrainian crisis was one of the key topics discussed at the talks between the Chinese leader and the senior European political figures.
