Paris: The advent of Chinese President Xi Jinping in France, specifically in Paris, on Sunday, unfolded a scene of activism as advocates for Tibet and Xinjiang congregated to accentuate concerns regarding human rights violations in these territories. Marking his inaugural journey to Europe in half a decade, President Xi’s visit is poised to center around Russia’s conflict in Ukraine and the economic frictions between Beijing and Brussels.
His agenda initiates in France, where he is slated to partake in dialogues with French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Monday in Paris, before traversing to the Pyrenees region, as per Al Jazeera. Subsequent to his sojourn in France, Xi will proceed to Serbia and Hungary, nations that have upheld robust ties with Russia despite its extensive incursion into Ukraine in February 2022.
Chinese state media documented Xi’s arrival in Paris, illustrating streets adorned with both Chinese and French banners and clusters of Chinese citizens extending a warm welcome to their leader. Nevertheless, amid the jubilant ambiance, proponents for Tibet and Xinjiang, territories where the United Nations has voiced apprehensions regarding potential atrocities against humanity, also took to the thoroughfares of the capital.
Activists advocating for Tibet and Xinjiang, territories where the United Nations has voiced concerns about potential atrocities against humanity, were also in attendance on the streets of the capital. The European Union’s imposition of targeted sanctions on specific Chinese officials and corporations over the situation in Xinjiang in March 2021 elicited robust reactions from Beijing.
Human Rights Watch implored French President Macron to publicly broach these matters during Xi’s sojourn in Paris, urging for the liberation of individuals arbitrarily detained, including Ilham Tohti, an Uyghur economist and recipient of the Sakharov Prize. The organization underscored that Macron should also voice concerns about Tibet and Hong Kong, spotlighting the oppression endured by Tibetan youth in boarding schools and the erosion of liberties in Hong Kong due to draconian security legislation.
“President Macron should articulate to Xi Jinping that Beijing’s offenses against humanity carry repercussions for China’s rapport with France,” remarked Maya Wang, the acting China director at Human Rights Watch in a statement. France’s reticence and inertia on human rights would merely embolden the Chinese government’s sense of impunity for its transgressions, further catalyzing repression domestically and internationally.
In a meeting at the Elysee Palace on April 30, Macron was captured alongside Penpa Tsering, the president of the Tibetan government-in-exile, who implored him not to overlook Tibet. The agenda between the two presidents was anticipated to address sundry international crises, yet advocates underscored the significance of incorporating dialogues on human rights issues.
“We comprehend that the agenda between the two presidents will be packed given the myriad international crises such as in Ukraine and in the Middle East, but this must not be at the expense of exchanges on human rights, which are in a deplorable state throughout the country as well as in Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and Tibet, where a dormant conflict has persisted for over six decades and poses a menace to regional and global security,” remarked Vincent Metten, the EU policy director for the International Campaign for Tibet as reported by Al Jazeera.
Freedom House’s 2024 report on Freedom in the World divulged Tibet’s abysmal rating of zero out of 100, signifying a profound regression in freedoms over the past eight years. Maryse Artiguelong, the vice president of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), opined: “The conflict in Ukraine underscores the peril posed to international order and security by authoritarian regimes such as Russia and the People’s Republic of China. Their belligerent foreign policies and oppressive domestic policies are inextricably entwined: Anyone who refrains from opposing China’s human rights transgressions risks eventually confronting its aggressive foreign policy.”
France has underscored that the conflicts in Ukraine and other regions, including Beijing’s neutral stance on Ukraine but failure to censure Moscow’s incursion, will be pivotal topics of discussion during the deliberations, as per Al Jazeera. Macron, renowned for his resolute stance on European security, will press Xi to wield influence on Russian President Putin regarding the situation in Ukraine. To accentuate European solidarity, von der Leyen will partake in Monday’s discussions, slated to commence shortly after 11 am (09:00 GMT).
Apart from the Ukraine conflict, Europe is perturbed by Chinese commercial endeavors, prompting an inquiry into China’s subsidies for electric vehicle manufacturers amid concerns about unjust competition and adverse repercussions on European enterprises. Preceding Xi’s departure last week, Lin Jian, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, asserted that Beijing was prepared to “collaborate with France and the EU to leverage this meeting as an opportunity to render China-EU relations more strategic, stable, constructive, and mutually beneficial, foster steady and sustained progress in China-EU relations, and contribute to the prosperity of both China and Europe and a harmonious world.”
Subsequent to his sojourn in France, Xi will voyage to Serbia, arriving in Belgrade on the 25th anniversary of the bombardment of the Chinese Embassy. He will engage in discussions with President Aleksandar Vucic. The bombing occurred during the NATO air campaign against Serb forces in Kosovo, resulting in three casualties and inciting indignation in China.
Despite not being an EU member, Serbia has garnered substantial investment from China, which currently stands as its largest single source of investment. Anticipating the trip, Lin, the MOFA spokesperson, characterized the relationship between the two nations as “unassailable,” in accordance with Al Jazeera. “The bombing remains a salient subject for Chinese officials, who exploit it to bolster narratives that impugn the values of liberal democracies,” penned Stefan Vladisavljev, program director at Foundation BFPE for a Responsible Society in an online analysis, supplementing, “For Serbia, the visit presents an opportunity to fortify its position as China’s principal partner in the Western Balkans.”
Xi will then proceed to Budapest on May 8, marking the culmination of his European excursion. There, he will confer with Hungarian President Viktor Orban, recognized for his intimate associations with Russia within the EU. Hungary’s policies, which have engendered concern among other EU members, have witnessed the nation gravitating more closely toward Beijing and Moscow.
Recently, Hungary inked a security collaboration agreement with China authorizing Chinese law enforcement officers to operate in locales with substantial ethnic Chinese populations or frequented Chinese tourist sites. This maneuver has evoked trepidation, particularly among exiles and dissidents elsewhere in Europe. Additionally, Hungary has been a participant in China’s Belt and Road Initiative since 2015. Dialogues between Xi and Orban are anticipated to encompass topics such as the ongoing construction of a high-speed rail link between Budapest and Belgrade, Al Jazeera reported.