Chinese President Xi Jinping heads to Europe on Thursday as the continent is divided over his cherished Belt and Road trade infrastructure project and under US pressure to shun telecom giant Huawei.
Xi will start his trip in Italy before heading to Monaco — the first visit by a Chinese president to the posh principality — and cap his five-day journey in France.
His visit comes a week after the European Union released a 10-point plan outlining a shift to more assertive relations with Beijing, warning that China was a “rival” to the bloc as well as its biggest trading partner.
But Xi is expected to secure a non-binding agreement for Italy to join the $1 trillion Belt and Road Initiative.
China has financed maritime, rail and road projects in Asia, Africa and Europe through BRI, but critics warn that it mainly benefits Chinese firms while setting up a “debt trap” in financially vulnerable countries.
Italy’s would be the first G7 nation to join the ambitious venture, raising eyebrows among Western allies.
EU members Greece and Poland have also embraced the “New Silk Road” but others in the bloc fear it could lead to growing Chinese government influence on the continent.
Source: Guardian Newspaper
