Xi Is on a Mission to Drive a Wedge Between US and Europe

  • Chinese leader to visit France, Serbia, Hungary seeking allies
  • EU has grown tougher on China and closer to the US recently
Xi JinpingPhotographer: Mark Schiefelbein/Pool/AFP/Getty Images
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Chinese President Xi Jinping is heading to the European Union for the first time in five years with a clear message: Beijing offers much more of an economic opportunity for the bloc than the US wants to admit.

The Chinese leader will begin his five-day trip to France, Serbia and Hungary on May 5, according to the Foreign Ministry in Beijing. Those nations are seeking investment from China, despite a litany of EU probes into Beijing’s industrial policy and the warnings from officials in Washington about the risks.