Europe heads East, away from US: Global Times
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After China's top diplomat met with French President Emmanuel Macron, analysts suggest the EU is heading East in an effort to start ditching the US.
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French President Emmanuel Macron (L) is welcomed by China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) upon his arrival at Beijing's Capital Airport on January 8, 2018. (AFP)
During his first stop in Europe, Chinese top diplomat Wang Yi met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Wednesday to discuss bilateral cooperation, multilateralism, and the war in Ukraine. He is also set to attend the Munich Security Conference on Friday, where Wang will convey China's vision on security.
At a time when China-US relations are tense following the "balloon incident," Chinese experts believe that the visit will help Europe better understand China's policies and stances following the 20th Communist Party of China (CPC) National Congress and is crucial to advancing multipolarization and China-EU strategic cooperation, according to the Global Times.
The Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, Wang Yi, explained to Macron on Wednesday that China has plans to further intensify high-level communications with France, open up new opportunities for bilateral relations, give China-EU relations a new boost, and add new value to efforts to increase international cooperation and address global concerns.
Wang stated that China is prepared to completely resume contacts with France in a variety of industries as the country's economy has quickly recovered and society has returned to normal, and Macron stressed that strengthening strategic dialogues between the two countries is of great significance.
Sino-French relations to maintain stability and balance
Macron added that France and China should cooperate to maintain stability and balance, uphold multilateralism, reject bloc confrontations, and "stop the world from disintegrating in the face of the world's growing complexity."
After the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, Europe followed the US in imposing sanctions on Russia, and has suffered from strikes, protests, and industrial and capital outflows, which has undermined its competitiveness, according to the Global Times.
Since Wang Yi's tour ends in Russia, some analysts suggest that it reflects a diplomatic balance between Europe and Russia. Others suggest that China may be looking to bring Europe and Russia closer together.
New global peace-maker
According to the Chinese FM, China adopted an objective stance regarding the war in Ukraine and was always committed to promoting peace talks. The top diplomat is also expected to emphasize the Chinese stance during the annual Munich Security Conference (MSC) from Friday to Sunday, where the war in Ukraine is set to be discussed.
Moreover, analysts suggest that the prolonged war in Ukraine could further harm European countries, according to the Global Times.
Read next: Ukraine crisis casts shadow over Munich conference
"China does not belong to any party in the conflict… China and Russia are strategic partners. China is a good partner of Ukraine, China is also a close partner of Europe, so China is in a very flexible position, and in that sense, and not in the sense of taking sides, China can be in a position of being able to promote peace talks," one analyst told the Global Times.
That said, the relationship between China and the EU is important to globalization, peace and development, according to analysts who suggest that Wang's trip is a very important and crucial step to promote Sino-EU cooperation and build a multi-polar world.
