As China’s Xi Jinping visits Europe, Ukraine, trade and investment are likely to top the agenda

By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN
Associated Press

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Ukraine, trade and investment are expected to dominate Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s first trip to Europe in five years, which starts in France on Monday. Last year, on a visit to Beijing, French President Emmanuel Macron courted controversy by saying France would not necessarily always align with the U.S. in foreign policy, an apparent reference to U.S. support for the self-governing republic of Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory. Xi’s stop in France will be followed by visits to Hungary and Serbia, both of which are seen as China-friendly and close to Russia.