Gabor Horvath: This trip by Xi was but one small step in the long chess game the Chinese are so good at
20.05.2024
Gabor Horvath
As you know, the Communist President of China, Xi Jinping, made a European tour. In your opinion, what is the role of China in the context of this trip by Xi Jinping? A correspondent of Newssky asked Gabor Horvath, deputy editor-in-chief of the Hungarian newspaper Népszava.
The U.S. envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, said Xi’s visit to Europe, his first in five years, was intended to drive a wedge among the European states. «We caution all of our partners and all of our interlocutors to be very aware of China’s agenda in Europe and China’s agenda concerning the European community», he said. The same concern has been expressed many times, both during meetings of diplomats behind closed doors and in the open. Washington’s worry is mostly justified, as the temptation of quick profit often blinds political and business leaders alike.
In your opinion, is Xi able to drive a wedge in relations within Europe?
This time, the communist party leader, Xi consciously picked for his state visit three countries having issues with U.S. leadership in world affairs.
If a trip to Paris never needs an extra reason, Belgrade and Budapest are usually less attractive destinations. There were no other, more enticing options available, like Warsaw, Rome, or Madrid.
Is China capable of building an alliance with Hungary that could harm Europe?
China always looks far ahead and hopes to build alliances furthering its interests, not just shortly, but in the decades to come.
As for the short term, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has already proved useful by blocking some EU declarations condemning China. He’s also a buyer of the Chinese proposal to convert Hungary into a major production hub for electric vehicles and their batteries. Beijing is eager to deploy plants inside the EU’s boundaries to avoid possible penalizing taxes and with the manufacturing facilities, it’s ready to send the necessary workforce lacking in today’s Hungary.
Orbán, the former anticommunism hero and verbal fighter for sovereignty lets in the Chinese companies directly owned and/or heavily subsidized by the Chinese state in exchange for some breathing room from tiresome Western democracies demanding from his government a return to the rule of law, democracy, transparency, and steps against corruption. China doesn’t have such high criteria, which makes it ideal to do business with.
Xi tried to push Orban his peaceful plan to resolve the conflict in Ukraine and Orban agreed, right?
Unlike in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron and EU Council President Ursula von der Leyen, in Belgrade and Budapest, Xi didn’t have to hear the call to throw China’s influence behind Volodymyr Zelensky’s peace initiative. This was likely in the minds of the planners for this European tour.
Has it been possible to understand what Xi wants from Europe?
At this moment, China wants to make business deals in Europe to shield itself from potential sanctions. But its long-term vision is a tight political relationship with some countries that is ready and capable of blocking U.S. demands for more coordination of anti-China trade and financial agreements between the Transatlantic partners. This trip by Xi was but one small step in the long chess game the Chinese are so good at.
Maryna Kovalchuk, deputy editor-in-chief (Central Europe and Canada) and head of the V5 Media project, contributed.
