Russian President Vladimir Putin is currently visiting China, marking his first international trip since his recent inauguration. While Putin’s trip to China underscores the strengthening ties between China and Russia, Xi Jinping’s European tour leaves a lingering sense of division within Europe.

As Abigaël Vasselier, Head of the Foreign Relations program at Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS), points out, President Macron’s strategic ambiguity has proven effective, enabling him to secure 32 agreements, surpassing those concluded in Serbia or Hungary, while also bringing European concerns to the forefront, notably China’s support for the war in Ukraine and China’s EV overcapacity. While this approach might benefit France, smaller European states are well aware they cannot emulate it.

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