Xi’s 3 EU magi — Huawei scoop — Biden’s democracy summit

Politico has launched its Transatlantic China Watcher newsletter, which will examine European and US interactions with China. The founding edition includes a cheat sheet calling attention to US President Joe Biden’s three-day Summit for Democracy, which opens today, and a trip to China this month by France’s Emmanuel Macron, Spain’s Pedro Sánchez and EU head Ursula von der Leyen to discuss Ukraine with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Politico also revealed that Belgian intelligence was looking into Huawei’s activities in Brussels, the seat of NATO and the EU.

The View: Politico’s Transatlantic China Watcher offers concise, twice-weekly summaries and informed insights into European and US dealings with China. Its launch issue focuses on democratic moves led by Biden and followed by the EU to counter China’s increasingly authoritarian stance. The newsletter states that Europe is waking up to the threat Washington has identified, with EU countries instructing officials to stay off TikTok and Germany’s Christian Democrats calling for a new approach to China.

European leaders are to visit China this month, although Politico questions whether they can influence President Xi’s views on deepening ties with Russia, given Beijing’s desire to exploit even the smallest transatlantic rifts. European leaders will meet Xi in Beijing but Macron will also head to Guangzhou to meet students; a Chinese city he hopes to associate with openness and an outward-looking mentality. Macron’s victory in the 2018 French elections was seen by analysts as a win for liberalism and open globalisation – areas where China and Russia are not typically seen as exponents. Nevertheless, Macron will have his work cut out in seeking to engage China to pressure Russia over Ukraine.

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