Chinese President Xi Sets Off on Diplomatic Trip to Europe

French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal was set to receive Xi in Paris on Sunday afternoon, The DPA news agency reported

Talks with French President Emmanuel Macron and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are then scheduled for Monday.

According to reports from the Elysee Palace, the talks will focus on the war in Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East, economic cooperation and climate protection.

Macron said ahead of the visit that everything must be done to involve China in the major global issues. As Europeans, we hope that the country will work towards the stability of the international order, Macron said.

After his stay in France, 70-year-old Xi will continue on to Serbia and Hungary.

Serbia maintains close relations with China and is a member of China's Belt and Road Initiative, in which Beijing is investing billions in transport routes and harbors worldwide, but particularly in the Global South.

The Hungarian government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban is also considered to be China-friendly. Hungary is one of the few EU countries to be a member of the Belt and Road Initiative.