Europe Turning to China as Uncertainty Over Trump's Foreign Policy Looms

Chinese President Xi Jinping will take part in the annual World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, including delivering a speech at the opening ceremony on January 17. China has been involved in various events by the WEF since 1979, but this year Xi Jinping is going to be the first Chinese leader to participate in the Davos meeting.

In order to arrange the visit, Beijing had to reconsider the usual schedule of Xi Jinping’s official visits.

Diplomatic activities by the Chinese president in Geneva and Davos will have a serious influence on the global economic recovery, according to Ma Zhaoxu, head of the Chinese mission to the UN in Geneva.

The diplomat also said that the world is now suffering a deep economic crisis and the lack of impetus for economic recovery.

"President Xi's speech will help the international community find the direction to move forward as well as solutions to the world's tough challenges such as terrorism, refugee problems and climate change and other issues of widespread concern," he told Xinhua.

There are optimistic expectations in Europe for Xi Jinping’s visit to Davos, according to Yury Rubinsky, a senior researcher at the Institute for European Studies, at the Russian Academy of Sciences.

"European analysts believe that Xi Jinping wants to show that Europe is the endpoint of China’s New Silk Road infrastructure route. This is especially important taking into account the role of Europe in the foreign policy strategy of the new United States presidential administration," Rubinsky told Sputnik Chinese.

The expert noted that US President-elect Donald Trump has long been an opponent to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), two major deals endorsed by Barack Obama’s administration.

"Europeans see no future in the TTIP. They are concerned. They don’t know what to expect from Trump’s administration. Xi Jinping’s visit to Davos may indicate that Europe sees China as an important partner amid the uncertainty in relations with the US and the future negotiations on Brexit," the expert pointed out.

He suggested that for the European Union China’s role is going to increase in the near future.

"In the event of a trade war between Washington and Beijing, Europe would not like being involved. This is a very important matter. This is not about China looking for support in Europe against the US. Europe doesn’t want to become a hostage of the situation," Rubinsky said.

The visit by Xi Jinping in Davos can be regarded as the diplomatic start of 2017 for China. Geneva hosts several international organizations while China advocates for a system of global governance as well as globalization and liberalization of trade.

During his stay in Geneva, the Chinese president is expected to visit the offices of the United Nations, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

"All of the above proves that Beijing wants to develop multilateral diplomacy and support the UN’s constructive role in global governance. In terms of bilateral diplomacy, the visit shows that Switzerland is important for China," said Jia Lieying, an expert of the School of International Relations at the Beijing Language and Culture University.

Switzerland was one of the first European countries to recognize and establish diplomatic relations with China. This was of major political importance for Beijing. In addition, in 2013, China and Switzerland signed a free trade deal. This was the first free trade agreement Beijing has signed with a European country. Currently, Switzerland is China’s seventh-largest trade partner. Moreover, Switzerland and China are actively developing financial cooperation.