WORLD ROUNDUPDid China's Xi Jinping Expose Disunity in Europe? | Going to the Extreme: Inside Germany’s Far Right | US Needs Counterterrorism Partners in Central Asia, and more
· China’s Xi Courts European Allies, Seeks to Exploit Western Divisions, Analysts Say
The European Union accuses Beijing of unfairly subsidizing the industry and undercutting its own carmakers
· Did China’s Xi Jinping Expose Disunity in Europe?
The Chinese president’s visit to Europe yielded little breakthrough on issues like trade and Ukraine. But it did show that Beijing prefers to work one-on-one to avoid collective opposition to its interests
· Congressman: US Needs Counterterrorism Partners in Central Asia
Washington wants to enhance security cooperation while backing political and economic reforms
· British Government Tries to Head Off the Type of Unrest Seen on American Campuses
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak summoned university leaders to his Downing Street offices in an effort to head off the kind of student unrest
· Going to the Extreme: Inside Germany’s Far Right
It is a spring evening in Germany’s eastern city of Cottbus, and dozens of people have crowded into a small venue to hear a man who once dubbed himself the “friendly face” of National Socialism (Nazism)
China’s Xi Courts European Allies, Seeks to Exploit Western Divisions, Analysts Say (Henry Ridgwell, VOA News)
Chinese President Xi Jinping departed Hungary on Friday after a five-day trip to Europe, his first visit to the continent in five years. Xi pledged to work with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in a new “multipolar world order.” Analysts say Beijing is courting its allies in Eastern Europe to exploit Western divisions.
Xi left Budapest after having signed 18 bilateral agreements to increase economic and cultural ties during his two-day stay in Hungary. The two countries announced what the Chinese president termed a “new-era, all-weather, comprehensive strategic partnership.”
Current Chinese investment projects in Hungary amount to over $17 billion, according to Budapest, with further investments from Beijing to follow, including in several electric car and battery plants.
The European Union accuses Beijing of unfairly subsidizing the industry and undercutting its own carmakers, which China denies.
Did China’s Xi Jinping Expose Disunity in Europe? (Yuchen Li and Wesley Rahn, VOA News)
Chinese President Xi Jinping concluded a high-profile European tour on Friday amid concerns in Europe over Chinese support for Russia’s war in Ukraine and European markets being flooded with cheap Chinese electric vehicles.
Xi’s first visit to the region since 2019 also comes amid growing suspicions that China is seeking to take advantage of divisions in Europe. And analysts pointed out that Xi’s itinerary was no coincidence.
Bertram Lang, a research associate at Goethe University in Frankfurt who specializes in China’s foreign policy, said that the countries on Xi’s tour — France, Serbia and Hungary — all have “special bilateral relationships” with Beijing.
Lang added that the Chinese leadership has gradually divided Europe into two groups, “those friendly and unfriendly to China.” And this trip aimed to emphasize relationships with the former.
Congressman: US Needs Counterterrorism Partners in Central Asia (Navbahor Imamova, VOA News)
In a rare discussion of Central Asia policy on Capitol Hill, a senior legislator told VOA that the United States needs to look past the abysmal human rights records of the countries in the region to confront terrorism and Russian and Chinese influence. “If we want their help somehow, we need to be able to help them,” Representative Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said in a one-on-one interview. The 27-year House lawmaker was part of the most recent congressional delegation to visit Uzbekistan, along with Armed Services Committee Chair Mike Rogers, Salud Carbajal and Veronica Escobar. The message they carried to the region was clear: Washington wants to enhance security cooperation while backing political and economic reforms.
British Government Tries to Head Off the Type of Unrest Seen on American Campuses (Danica Kirka and Laurie Kellman, AP)
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is calling for an end to “antisemitic abuse” at U.K. universities as protests against the war in Gaza expand and the government tries to head off the type of unrest seen on American campuses in recent weeks. The comments came as Sunak and his education secretary prepared to meet with university leaders on Thursday at the prime minister’s offices in Downing Street. “A vocal minority on our campuses are disrupting the lives and studies of their fellow students and, in some cases, propagating outright harassment and antisemitic abuse,” Sunak said in a statement. “This has to stop.” Pro-Palestinian protesters have begun building encampments at universities around the U.K. over the past two weeks as students and academics call on the institutions to cut ties with Israel over its offensive in the Gaza Strip.
Going to the Extreme: Inside Germany’s Far Right (Jessica Parker, BBC)
It is a spring evening in Germany’s eastern city of Cottbus, and dozens of people have crowded into a small venue to hear a man who once dubbed himself the “friendly face” of National Socialism (Nazism). Two other men with prior links to extremist groups are also in the room, including a candidate for forthcoming state elections. They’re all there to hear Matthias Helferich at a youth event organized by members of the prominent far-right party, Alternative für Deutschland (AfD).
