Interview – The economic impact of the Chinese president’s visit to Europe

In an interview that Mr. Gjokutaj told China Foreign Radio about the economic impact of the Chinese president’s visit to Europe that “this visit comes in the framework of a relationship which, after 5 years of President Xi Jinping’s return to Europe, has a deepening of divisions, of disagreements that mainly do not only have to do with the commercial and economic nature, but also with the political and geopolitical part.

After the Russia-Ukraine conflict, where China, although it has maintained a neutral position, where it has said that “we neither created this war, nor are we supporters of it”, for its part, the European Union maintains a distanced position this way. This of course also affects the commercial and economic relations between the two parties.

Mrs. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, naturally participates in the meetings in Paris, since, in addition to the part of the executive of the European Union that she leads, Mrs. Von der Leyen has an initiative she is leading on how to deal with Chinese overproduction.

Chinese products are entering more and more European markets, due to their high quality and affordable prices, which come from a supportive policy of the Chinese government.

Many European countries have invested in relations with China for years. And all this cannot be a policy that can only originate from what the moment dictates”.

In response to the question of how much this visit helps a more open approach to the market, in economic and trade exchanges Europe-China, the answer of Mr. Gjokutaj said that “I believe that China has such a relationship with Europe, because of the investments that have come, especially in most European countries, for photovoltaic and wind technology.

This technology comes from clean energy, just like wind turbines. Chinese products are in the medical industry as well as communication technology.

And what was already welcomed by Germany, in terms of communication and information technology, is related to the biggest operator that China has, the Huawei company, which will invest more in Germany.

And this is welcomed in this direction, in the locomotive of the European industry, in Germany, in terms of telecommunications.

On the other hand, the movements related to the aspect of environmental initiatives, for which China is committed and is loyal to free international trade, but also to how the supply chains, which have been disrupted to some extent by the Russia-Ukraine conflict , but also from other conflicts, such as those in the Middle East, which also affect the supply chains, naturally China finds those areas and this visit is related to that”.

Meanwhile, the other question related to the meetings in two partner countries of China, in Serbia and Hungary, where Chinese state and private capital is quite present with its quality investments in infrastructure, etc. Regarding the comments about these two stops, Mr. Gjokutaj answered that “Hungary and Serbia are loyal countries in relations with China, which it considers in that part of the European border, but also with the countries of Asia.

And naturally, it is estimated that 2 billion euros have been invested by China in Serbia, and Serbia itself welcomes Chinese capital, in terms of deepening relations, guaranteeing that Serbia returns to the main partner in the Western Balkans.

To stimulate, not only that railway investment with the Belgrade-Budapest high-speed train, but also to turn it into a connecting point, starting from the port of Piraeus

On the other hand, Hungary also remains a country which is loyal and there is an increase in the presence of capital from China, through investments in energy, technology, etc.

While the impact of this visit on the progress of economic relations between China and Albania, Mr. Gjokutaj comments that “our economic relations will get a boost from the re-dimensioning of China’s relations with the European Union.

This, as our position has little impact, little influence, compared to Serbia or even Hungary. At the moment when the United Europe itself is seeking to break what has been created to date, a box with many elements has been opened. And in this box, Albania will also find itself, to resize and expand its economic and commercial relations with China”.