China Wants to Buy Off Europe. The Price Is Too High
A renewed charm offensive and some sweetheart deals won’t be enough to drive a wedge between the US and its European allies.
Li is on a mission.
Photographer: Johannes Simon/Getty Images
When new Chinese leaders rise to power, they choose the first foreign capitals they visit carefully. So Premier Li Qiang’s current tour of Germany and France underscores how important improving ties with Europe, in particular its two most powerful countries, is for China and President Xi Jinping.
The logic is obvious. While Xi hasn’t written off hopes of steadying ties with the US, as evidenced by his meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Beijing this week, he knows the issues that divide the two superpowers are too great to be bridged anytime soon. Avoiding further escalation is perhaps the best he can hope for.