EU media: Xi is strengthening suspicion towards Europe in Serbia and Hungary

The French newspaper Le Monde writes that Xi Jinping sought to strengthen leaders of countries distrustful of Europe, such as Aleksandar Vucic and Viktor Orban, whose anti-Western rhetoric is emphasized and where democracy is regressing.

Le Monde adds that Orban's statement that there is a new world order today, which is multipolar and with China is one of its pillars.

The Spanish daily El Periodico writes that, along with strengthening ties with key European allies Hungary and Serbia, Xi also aims to improve relations with the EU, especially if Donald Trump wins the presidential elections in the United States, given his attitude towards Europe.

The German news portal Deutsche Welle notes that Xi's first visit since 2019, which came amidst growing suspicions in the West that China is trying to exploit European divisions.

Analysts have emphasized that Xi's choice of destinations - France, Serbia, and then Hungary - is by no means a coincidence. Europeans believe that China, with strong subsidies for the production of electric cars and steel, is supplying Europe with cheaper vehicles and thus grabbing larger pieces of the market, the German portal reports.

Deutsche Welle adds that the European Commission will consider this in July, after which punitive tariffs could be imposed on Chinese electric cars, potentially sparking a trade war between two major economic players, the EU and China.

The Brussels-based portal Politico believes that Xi's visits aimed to inflict the greatest possible damage to EU and NATO unity, with promises of imperial generosity to "vassal states."

Le Monde, in its editorial, states that the Chinese president has clearly chosen his allies in Europe and quotes experts who suggest that Xi Jinping, with the idea of a "multipolar world," primarily aims at a world with Chinese characteristics.